The authorities of Uzbekistan have developed and presented a number of measures to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev aimed at increasing the inflow of foreign IT specialists, startups, and investors into the country. The central element of this strategy will be the Talent Hub program.
Mechanisms for Attracting Talent and Capital
Thanks to the Talent Hub program, foreign citizens will be able to remotely register companies, open bank accounts, and obtain international bank cards. According to approved plans, by 2030, the export of IT services is expected to reach $5 billion. Furthermore, it is planned to create up to five thousand new startups and attract approximately $2 billion in investments.
Support for the IT Sector and Infrastructure
To stimulate industry development, an extension of tax benefits for employees of companies that are residents of the IT Park is provided, with these benefits extended until 2040. Existing IT Visa and Zero Risk programs will also be expanded. Financial assistance will be provided to IT service exporters to cover costs for salaries, specialist relocation, and obtaining international certificates.
In addition, over twenty acceleration programs are planned to be launched in the regions of Bukhara and Fergana to support startups in entering global markets.
Development of the Telecommunications Sphere
Significant progress has been made in the telecommunications sector: coverage by services has increased from 41% to 98%, and internet bandwidth has increased 65 times. Nevertheless, the industry is not yet sufficiently attractive for private business, and low access to wired internet persists in remote settlements.
To further improve the situation, the process of licensing network construction is planned to be simplified, reducing the license issuance period to ten working days. A requirement will also be introduced for developers to mandatorily provide preliminary assurance of high-speed internet connection for residential buildings.
Support for Entrepreneurship
Young people wishing to start a business in telecommunications will gain access to preferential loans of up to 530 million soms for a seven-year term, with a two-year grace period under the 'Kelajak Tadbirkori' program. Special pricing tariffs will be introduced for enterprises located in remote areas.
Previously, Uzbekistan was recognized as the world's most dynamically developing startup ecosystem. Tashkent city ranked first among Central Asian cities, while Samarkand and Fergana were included in the list of the world's top thousand startup cities.
