The European Central Bank has selected 36 payment service providers in the eurozone to participate in the digital euro project, according to the publication Italpress.
The planned pilot project is set to begin in the second half of 2027 and will last for 12 months. Its goal is to test the technical solution, operational process, and user experience associated with the digital euro.
Banks as well as non-state financial institutions will take part in this project. During the trials, employees of the European Central Bank and 19 national central banks will conduct online and offline payments between individuals and legal entities using a beta version of the digital euro.
Pierro Cipollone, a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, emphasized that the high interest from the private sector stimulates the active development of the digital euro project.
The information agency 'BelTA' reported that Uzbekistan has entered the top five countries for exchange trading with Belarus, based on the press service of the Universal Commodity Exchange.
By the end of the first half of 2026, the republic's companies ranked fourth globally in terms of transaction volume on this exchange. During a specific period, the turnover of Uzbek entrepreneurs exceeded 66 million dollars, which is 21% more compared to January-June 2025.
There was also an increase in the number of residents of the republic registered on the exchange: from 201 people in July last year to 281 people in July of this year. This information was announced during a trilateral meeting of representatives of Belarus and Uzbekistan held in Minsk.
According to Roman Yaniv, chief press secretary of the UCTB, Uzbek business shows active interest in the Belarusian commodity market, using exchange trading primarily as a means of procurement. He noted that most transactions with Uzbeks are related to product imports.
Traditionally, high demand is observed for timber, which was supplied to the partner country during the year in the volume of 69% of the total goods. Additionally, agricultural trade is actively developing. The volume of dry milk trade increased by 1.5 times compared to the first half of last year, reaching 17.1 million dollars, and the volume of butter trade grew 15 times, amounting to 1.2 million dollars.
There is high potential to expand the list of Uzbek goods sold through the exchange. An important step in this direction was the signing of a contract worth 1.3 million dollars in June, when a major clothing producer sold its products on our exchange for the first time. Furthermore, textile companies have regularly been purchasing cotton and other types of threads produced in Uzbekistan for two years now.
Another area of development for exchange trading is the mutual supply of agricultural products. This process includes the supply of meat products and feed from Belarus, as well as food raw materials and some additional materials from Uzbekistan.
The Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange, established in 2004, began its first trading in June 2005. One of the main functions of this exchange, which is one of the largest in Eastern Europe, is to assist local enterprises in exporting their products and foreign companies in entering the Belarusian market. The institution trades a wide range of goods, including metals, forestry, agriculture, industry, and consumer goods.
>A working meeting was held at the Agency for Industrial Cooperation and Public Procurement with the participation of representatives from 'Expertise France' and the French Development Agency (AFD). The goal of the meeting was to deepen partnership in the field of environmentally friendly public procurement.
During the negotiations, the state procurement system in Uzbekistan and the reforms being carried out in this area were discussed in detail. The parties reviewed the main areas of cooperation between the Agency and 'Expertise France'. Opinions were developed on issues of improving the electronic public procurement system, phased introduction of green public procurement, increasing the potential of customers and suppliers, and adapting international experience to the national procurement system.
Participants discussed a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening institutional interaction in the green public procurement sector, expanding digital solutions, and increasing the transparency and efficiency of the public procurement process. Furthermore, key areas for a 10-month joint work plan between the Agency and 'Expertise France' were defined.
According to this plan, specific steps will be taken to gradually introduce green public procurement, organize pilot tenders for sustainable products, further improve the electronic procurement system, develop mechanisms for assessing electronic suppliers, enhance the qualifications of customers and suppliers, and implement advanced international experience into the national system. It should be noted that this plan is intended to practically support the tasks assigned to the Agency for Industrial Cooperation and Public Procurement according to the decision of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated February 2, 2026.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue sequential cooperation in implementing the set tasks and developing the green public procurement system. The introduction of such a system contributes to the effective use of public funds, increased demand for environmentally sustainable products and services, reduction of negative environmental impact, and ensuring sustainable economic development of the country.
An agreement was signed between the Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzatom) and the Rosatom Technical Academy regarding cooperation in nuclear medicine and related fields.
The document was signed by Yuri Seleznev, Rector of the Rosatom Technical Academy, and Azim Ahmedkhojaev, Director of the Uzatom Agency. The main goal of the agreement is to develop the national infrastructure for nuclear medicine in Uzbekistan, train highly qualified personnel for the field, continuously improve the skills of specialists, and systematically establish the exchange of scientific and technical information.
Within the scope of cooperation, educational programs will be developed based on the national needs of Uzbekistan and other countries, as well as advanced international experience. This cooperation covers important areas such as the research and production of medical isotopes, radionuclide diagnostics and therapy, theranostics, radiation therapy, the creation, production, and clinical application of radiopharmaceuticals, as well as radiation safety.
Yuri Seleznev, Rector of the Rosatom Technical Academy, emphasized that the academy possesses extensive experience and unique competencies in nuclear technologies and their application outside of energy. He stated its readiness to offer its educational and scientific-methodological potential to train highly qualified specialists who can work with modern technologies compliant with international standards to develop nuclear medicine in Uzbekistan.
According to Azim Ahmedkhojaev, Director of the Uzatom Agency, developing nuclear medicine is one of the important ways to improve the healthcare system of Uzbekistan. He mentioned that the work on preparing a strategy for developing nuclear medicine has reached its final stage. This strategy is aimed at developing human resource capacity, improving the regulatory legal framework, introducing modern technologies, and strengthening the national infrastructure of the field.
Ahmedkhojaev stressed that this agreement is an important step in strengthening cooperation and implementing the defined tasks. It will not only expand cooperation in the field of education but also serve to form a comprehensive system for training and improving the skills of doctors, medical physicists, radiochemists, radiopharmacists, and engineering technical staff working in the field of nuclear medicine.
It should be noted that this agreement was signed during the 'Obninsk NEW' International Nuclear Industry Youth Forum held in the city of Obninsk, Russian Federation.
