As a result of an operational action conducted jointly by employees of the State Security Service and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes, illegal activities related to issuing bank loans were suppressed in the city of Tashkent.
As a result of an operational action conducted jointly by employees of the State Security Service and the Department for Combating Economic Crimes, illegal activities related to issuing bank loans were suppressed in the city of Tashkent.
It was established that a lawyer from the Center for Banking Services of a branch of a private joint-stock commercial bank and an individual residing in the Yangiyol district with a criminal record colluded. They deceived a citizen who wished to engage in entrepreneurship by promising to issue him a preferential loan of $3.5 million on his behalf.
In exchange for this 'service,' the fraudsters demanded 12 percent of the loan amount, which is $420,000 USD. The criminals managed to receive $50,000 USD from the agreed sum before being detained by operational officers based on circumstantial evidence.
Currently, a criminal case has been initiated against these individuals, and the pre-trial restriction of 'arrest' has been applied. Investigative actions are ongoing.
The State Security Service urges citizens to contact short number 1520 if they encounter such violations of the law, guaranteeing the confidentiality of the applicant.
The volume of non-performing loans (NPL) in the banking system of Uzbekistan continues to grow. According to data from the Central Bank, by the end of the first half of 2026, the volume of such loans reached 22.9 trillion sums. This figure is significantly higher than 18.1 trillion sums at the beginning of the year, an increase of 27 percent.
Although the growth of the credit portfolio is considered a natural process, the faster rate of increase in non-performing loans raises concerns within the banking system. Over six months, the total credit portfolio grew from 604 trillion sums to 643 trillion sums, representing an increase of 6.4 percent. Meanwhile, non-performing loans grew almost four times faster—by 27 percent.
The share of non-performing loans in the total credit portfolio has also increased. If this indicator was 2.99 percent at the beginning of the year, it reached 3.57 percent by the end of the half-year period. Analysts note that the majority of non-performing loans are concentrated in state-participating commercial banks. The volume of NPL in these banks increased from 12.8 trillion sums to 16.4 trillion sums over six months. This means that almost 72 percent of all non-performing loans in the country's banking system are concentrated specifically in state banks.
As a result, the share of non-performing loans in state banks rose from 3.17 percent to 3.89 percent. At the same time, the situation in banks with private and foreign capital remained relatively stable, with the NPL share increasing from 2.62 percent to 2.95 percent.
In terms of relative growth, the largest increase was recorded at TBC Bank, where the share of non-performing loans increased from 5.71 percent to 12.12 percent, becoming the highest in the system. Microcreditbank also demonstrated an increase in the NPL share from 4.41 percent to 7.86 percent, surpassing others in absolute volume of non-performing loans, which increased by almost 900 billion sums over six months.
Despite the overall trend of growth, some banks managed to improve the quality of their credit portfolio. The most significant positive changes were observed at Poytaht Bank, where the share of non-performing loans decreased from 24.40 percent to 7.32 percent. Kapitalbank reduced the volume of non-performing loans by almost 200 billion sums, bringing the NPL share down from 2.81 percent to 2.14 percent. Ipoteka Bank achieved a reduction in the volume of non-performing loans by 163 billion sums. Indicators also decreased at Hayot Bank (from 3.96 percent to 2.68 percent) and Ziraat Bank Uzbekistan (from 3.86 percent to 2.96 percent).
Furthermore, the share of non-performing loans remained at 0 percent in KDB Bank Uzbekistan and Octobank. Uzumbank, ApexBank, and Open Bank were among the banks with the lowest NPL rates, at 0.01 percent, 0.04 percent, and 0.35 percent, respectively.
In summary, the half-year results show that alongside the increase in lending volume, strengthening control over debt quality is required. Especially in state-participating banks, the high rate of growth of non-performing loans requires improving risk management mechanisms, credit assessment, and borrower engagement. Nevertheless, the successful experience of some banks in revitalizing their credit portfolios demonstrates the existence of effective approaches in this area.
