The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan announced that AFI’s Board of Directors has elected it as the network’s new Vice Chair and as the Board representative for AFI’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, with the Vice Chair role to be ratified by the AFI Membership Council at the 2026 Annual General Meeting. A principal AFI member since 2018, the Bank has served on AFI governance bodies including the Budget and Finance Committee and the Gender Inclusive Finance Committee, and it currently chairs AFI’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Policy Initiative. Chairman Timur Ishmetov characterised the appointment as recognition of Uzbekistan’s reforms around financial inclusion and SME support, and as a platform to share evidence-based policy perspectives across AFI’s network; AFI’s Board provides strategic guidance to the organisation and is chaired by Soraya M. Hakuziyaremye, Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda.
Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan 2025-12-15
Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan elected AFI Board Vice Chair and Eastern Europe and Central Asia representative
The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been elected as the new Vice Chair of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) Board of Directors and as the Board representative for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This appointment, pending ratification at the 2026 AFI Annual General Meeting, is seen as recognition of Uzbekistan's financial inclusion and SME support reforms.