The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing up to $50 million (€42.7 million) to Uzbekistan’s O’zsanoatqurilishbank, known as SQB, to expand lending to young entrepreneurs, as smaller businesses continue to face barriers in accessing bank credit.
The loan is being extended under the EBRD’s Youth in Business programme for Central Asia and targets micro, small and medium-sized enterprises led or owned by entrepreneurs under 35.
The focus on younger business owners reflects Uzbekistan’s demographics. The country had 9.63 million people aged 14 to 30 at the start of 2025, equal to 25.7% of the population, according to official statistics.
The SQB loan forms part of two EBRD operations worth up to $100 million (€85.4 million) in Uzbekistan’s financial sector. A separate operation of up to $50 million (€42.7 million) with the Mortgage Refinancing Company of Uzbekistan is intended to support the residential mortgage market and more standardised lending practices.
The financing comes in an economy where small businesses accounted for 51.5% of GDP in January-September 2025, with 1.2 million operating small business entities as of 1 October 2025, according to Uzbekistan’s National Statistics Committee.
