The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has presented the results of the first pilot calculation of national financial accessibility indices for 2025. According to the regulator's data, the overall score for individuals was 59 out of 100, and for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) it was 49 points.
These indices assess adults over 16 years old and small businesses, including individual entrepreneurs. Each metric analyzes three key components: availability, usage, and quality of services, covering three categories of financial products: loans, deposits, and payments.
The methodology was developed in collaboration with international experts and includes frameworks from 16 organizations, among which are the World Bank, OECD, and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). The calculation is based on supply data provided by the Central Bank, the Tax Committee, the National Statistical Committee, banks, and other financial service providers.
Details of indicators for the population
For the adult population, availability was assessed at 62 points, usage at 51 points, and service quality at 64 points. Payment services demonstrated a high level of access: 83% of adults have bank cards, about 77% use internet banking, and 86.3% can make payments via mobile internet. Access to loans was also high: 98% of the population is included in credit bureau data, and 80% of new retail loans are processed automatically.
However, access to savings proved lower: although 86% of adults hold a basic bank account, only 4% have savings or term deposit accounts. In fact, actual product usage showed an opposite trend. Savings accounts received 68 points for usage, supported by an active rate of 66% among existing deposit accounts. Loan usage was rated at 47 points, with 27% of adults having an active loan account, and the average figure is 1.7 loans per borrower. Payment usage received the lowest score—34 points; despite an average of 3.2 cards per person, only 53% of cards are actively used, and peer-to-peer transfers account for 69% of all payment operations.
Financial accessibility for SMEs
The overall financial accessibility index for SMEs was 49 points, distributed as follows: 39 points for availability, 64 points for usage, and 43 points for service quality. The most accessible segment for businesses was lending, scoring 50 points, with 24% of SMEs having active loan accounts and 68% registered with the credit bureau. However, the adoption of cashless payments lagged significantly, receiving only 19 points for availability. Despite SMEs accounting for 34% of bank loans issued and 36% of the total banking sector loan portfolio, financing remains concentrated in a narrow group of enterprises.
Indicators by gender and in rural areas
Gender-oriented indicators showed an overall financial accessibility index for women at 72 points. Basic account ownership among women reached 86%, matching the national average, but the share of women with savings or term deposit accounts was only 6%. Nevertheless, a gap persists in loan usage: 19% of women have active loan accounts, which accounts for 35% of new retail loans and 38% of the retail loan portfolio.
In rural and remote areas, the financial accessibility index was 49 points. The main obstacle is opening a primary account, as only 21% of rural residents have bank accounts compared to the national average of 86%. The use of term deposits in rural areas reached 1%. Nevertheless, the activity level of existing rural accounts is comparable to national data: the share of inactive accounts is 32% versus 34% nationwide.
Following the publication of the pilot report, the Central Bank identified several priority tasks. These include expanding simple savings products, increasing the share of account ownership in rural areas, reducing regional inequality, developing integrated digital services for SMEs, mitigating debt burden risks, and expanding business lending based on cash flows. The Central Bank intends to conduct regular index calculations to monitor financial accessibility trends over time.
