The management of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan discussed with representatives of Tencent Cloud International, a part of the Chinese holding Tencent Holdings Ltd, the issues of bilateral cooperation in the development of digital technologies and cloud infrastructure in the country, the press service of the regulator reports.
During the talks, the prospects of integrating Tencent’s WeChat Pay digital payment system with local payment systems of Uzbekistan, the possibility of making payments using QR codes, as well as expanding cooperation in this area were discussed, the statement said.
Following the meeting, the parties supported initiatives in the field of payment systems and agreed on future joint actions.
Miraziz Mirkhayotov, deputy director of the Central Bank’s payment systems department, told reporters that Chinese mobile payment services WeChat and Alipay (from Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group) can be integrated with Uzbekistan’s national payment systems.
According to him, at the first stage, the parties are working to ensure that foreign tourists can make payments in Uzbekistan. At the second stage, similar work is planned to make payments by Uzbek residents in China through the republic’s payment systems Uzcard and Humo.
Starting from June 1, 2025, Uzbekistan will introduce a simplified procedure for obtaining a 5-year residence permit for foreign citizens and stateless persons. This rule is enshrined in the presidential decree of April 18, the Ministry of Justice reports.
To obtain the document, the applicant must pay $200,000, as well as $100,000 for each family member – spouse, children and parents.
Currently, residence permits in Uzbekistan are issued to certain categories of citizens:
– foreign citizens or stateless persons permanently residing in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan – upon reaching the age of 16
– persons who have received a permanent residence permit in Uzbekistan in accordance with the procedure established by the Regulations, including persons who have returned to the country and whose Uzbek citizenship has been terminated by law;
– citizens of the countries included in the List of countries whose citizens are entitled to obtain a residence permit in Uzbekistan subject to the acquisition of real estate in Tashkent region and Tashkent city – for the equivalent of at least $300 thousand, Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Andijan, Fergana and Khorezm regions – for the equivalent of at least $200 thousand, in Karakalpakstan and other regions of the republic – for the equivalent of at least $100 thousand;
– persons who permanently reside in Uzbekistan but have not acquired Uzbek citizenship or whose Uzbek citizenship has been terminated by law.
Programs under which foreign nationals are granted a residence permit in exchange for significant investments in the country’s economy are in place in a number of foreign countries (e.g., Portugal, Spain, UAE). Their goal is to attract capital and wealthy foreign investors to the country.
The delegation of the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, headed by Minister Laziz Kudratov, held a series of meetings and negotiations with the leadership of leading corporations, large companies and industry associations during its official visit to the United States.
According to the program of her visit, on April 7, she met with representatives of companies operating in strategically important areas such as mining, hospitality and food industry.
The management of a number of companies praised the reforms in Uzbekistan, relying also on the successful cases of American companies with many years of experience in the country, and expressed readiness to expand cooperation.
As a result of the meetings, agreements were signed on cooperation in the field of critical minerals, agreements were reached on investments in exploration and production of minerals, construction of fine ore grinding complexes (HPGR), introduction of innovative technologies and creation of added value of critical raw materials, as well as training of Uzbek specialists.
In addition, the parties agreed on the timing of the implementation of new projects in the field of tourism – hotel construction.
In the framework of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s state visit to Paris, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan and the French Ministry of Culture signed a number of agreements on cooperation in the field of culture.
The documents were signed by the head of the Foundation, Gayane Umerova, and the French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati.
One of the agreements is a declaration on cooperation between the cultural institutions of the two countries. It envisages the development of academic exchanges between the Alfred Cortot School of Music in Paris and the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, as well as support for joint film projects.
An agreement was also signed to hold the exhibition “Uzbekistan: Avant-Garde in the Desert” in France and an international conference on museums and artificial intelligence in Samarkand as part of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference.
According to the National Statistical Committee, as of January 1, 2025, the number of permanent residents of the Republic of Uzbekistan amounted to 37.5 million people.
The permanent population of the Republic of Uzbekistan by years (as of January 1):
– 1920 – 4.4 million people
– 1930 – 4.9 million people
– 1940 – 6.6 million people
– 1950 – 6.2 million people
– 1960 – 8.4 million people
– 1970 – 11.8 million people
– 1980 – 15.8 million people
– 1990 – 20.2 million people
– 2000 – 24.5 million people
– 2010 – 28.0 million people
– 2020 – 33.9 million people
– 2025 – 37.5 million people
On March 7, the President of Uzbekistan watched a presentation on expanding the raw material base of minerals critical to industry and manufacturing high value-added products.
Uzbekistan has discovered deposits of more than 30 metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, magnesium, lithium, germanium, graphite, vanadium and titanium.
In the next three years, 76 projects covering 28 rare minerals are planned to be implemented with a total value of $2.6 billion. To expand the raw material base, additional funding will be allocated for exploration and research.
It is emphasized that the main task is to extract valuable raw materials directly from the ore using modern technologies, increase the purity of minerals and create products with high added value. For example, beneficiation of tungsten concentrate from the Ingichka deposit will double the added value. So far, 18 such projects have been developed.
In order to expand the chain “raw materials – processing – science and technology – finished products”, it was proposed to organize technology parks in the Tashkent and Samarkand regions, which are rich in molybdenum and tungsten.
The head of state instructed to transfer technologies and best practices in this area, open modern laboratories and training centers. It was emphasized that in the context of the “fourth industrial revolution” it is necessary to create a solid base for taking a worthy position in this market.
