Non-performing loans accounted for 3.8% of Uzbekistan's banking lending

According to data from the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, the total portfolio of commercial banks in Uzbekistan reached 659.1 trillion soms as of October 1, 2026. This figure demonstrates a growth of 13.2% compared to the previous year.

At the beginning of the current year, the portfolio amounted to 604 trillion soms, which represents an increase of 9.1% in the first nine months alone.

The main driver of growth remained retail lending. Loans to individuals grew by 19% year-on-year, reaching 248.4 trillion soms. Meanwhile, corporate lending increased by 9.9%, totaling 410.7 trillion soms. The share of individuals in the total banking portfolio rose from 35.8% to 37.7%.

Over the period since the beginning of the year, the retail loan portfolio expanded by 12.7%. Mortgage loans remained the largest segment, showing a growth of 14.9% to reach 91.2 trillion soms. Microloans accounted for 51.9 trillion soms, increasing by 6.3%, while microcredits to individuals grew by 22.4% to 49.5 trillion soms.

Auto loans increased by 4.3% to 41.4 trillion soms, and educational loans grew by 4.6% to 7.3 trillion soms. The fastest growth was recorded in loans related to bank cards and overdrafts, which increased by 47.9% since the beginning of the year to 6.5 trillion soms. Consumer loans remained almost unchanged, staying at 0.5 trillion soms.

The corporate loan portfolio showed a growth of 7% since the beginning of the year. Loans to non-credit institutions increased by 6.3% to reach 382.5 trillion soms. Microcredits to legal entities grew by 23.7% to 18.2 trillion soms, while leasing and factoring increased by 48.2% to 5.7 trillion soms. Interbank loans grew by an impressive 62.4% to 1.1 trillion soms, however, syndicated loans decreased by 30.9%, amounting to 3.3 trillion soms.

Lending in the national currency grew faster than lending in foreign currency. Som currency loans increased by 15.1% year-on-year, reaching 406.8 trillion soms, while loans in foreign currency grew by 10.3% to 252.3 trillion soms. The share of foreign currency loans decreased from 39.3% to 38.3%.

Long-term loans constitute the main part of the portfolio, totaling 583.5 trillion soms, which accounts for 88.5% of the total volume. Short-term loans amounted to 75.6 trillion soms.

Loans issued by state-owned banks increased by 7.8% to 425.8 trillion soms, accounting for 64.6% of the market. Portfolios of other banks grew by 24.5% to reach 233.3 trillion soms.

As of October 1, 2026, commercial banks in Uzbekistan have provided 2,362 loans totaling 35.9 billion sums under the 'From Poverty to Prosperity' program. These funds are intended to support the population in purchasing equipment and other fixed assets, which will allow for expanding income sources, developing self-employment, and creating small production enterprises.

The largest share of financing was directed towards the purchase of sewing equipment, with 13.2 billion sums allocated for 925 sewing machines. Additionally, 7.1 billion sums went to finance 419 units of food production equipment.

The loans also covered expenses for purchasing 496 laptops worth 5.6 billion sums and 272 passenger cars amounting to 5.4 billion sums. Another 4.5 billion sums was allocated for the acquisition of 250 various fixed assets.

The leaders in lending volume were Xalq bank, which issued 1,587 loans totaling 23.6 billion sums. Mikrokreditbank provided 569 loans for a total of 8.6 billion sums, and Agrobank allocated 206 loans for 3.6 billion sums.

By region, the highest number of loans was issued in Jizzakh Region—321 loans. This was followed by Tashkent Region with 307 loans, and Syrdarya Region registered 262 loans.

The goal of this program is to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, increase household incomes, and create additional sources of earnings by helping citizens obtain the necessary equipment and assets for economic activity.

From 2021 to the end of the third quarter of 2026, Uzbekistan provided educational loans totaling nearly 7.7 trillion soums. The total number of such loans exceeded 663,000.

Over 5.8 trillion soums of the total amount was directed towards supporting the education of women and girls, with more than 515,000 loans issued to them.

This data was presented on October 23 at a consultative meeting dedicated to improving the educational loan system and reforms within the EduImkon program. The Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan organized this meeting jointly with the World Bank.

Representatives from the ministry, the World Bank, relevant state agencies, commercial banks, universities, and public organizations participated in the event. The current state of the lending system, achieved results, and ways to improve financing mechanisms and the effective use of budget funds were discussed.

Special attention was paid to the EduImkon program, which is financed by the World Bank with $250 million USD. The goal of this program is to expand equal access to higher education, align education financing with labor market needs, and ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the student loan system.

The meeting also considered targeted support for women and girls, children from low-income families, and students studying priority fields. Participants discussed the digitalization of loan applications, as well as debt monitoring and repayment processes, examining international experience in linking repayment mechanisms to graduates' income.

Plans were presented to develop a financial and economic model for the system with the involvement of international experts, to evaluate the existing digital platform, and to analyze the link between educational loans and labor market requirements. Proposals were also discussed regarding providing loans for studying at top-300 global universities, as well as for short-term professional training and language courses abroad.

Discussions focused on funding conditions and limits, the quality of educational institutions, repayment procedures, and future employment of graduates; these mechanisms are currently at the proposal stage. Furthermore, participants exchanged views on including social and environmental factors, ensuring inclusivity, and improving application and complaint processing procedures. All proposals put forward at the meeting will be taken into account during further reforms, and the ministry will continue its cooperation with the World Bank and other partners to improve the education financing system.