314 views
2 more users are reading this material
What did Tashkent 2026 show? Results summary of the 6th International PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan. Day One
What did Tashkent 2026 show? Results summary of the 6th International PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan. Day One
On May 19–20, 2026, Tashkent hosted the sixth edition of the largest cross-sectoral event in Central Asia, the International PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan supported by the National Agency for Prospective Projects and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
During the first day, participants discussed current trends such as digitalization of public infrastructure, fintech development, cryptocurrency market regulation, interaction of retail and banks, the implementation of AI-based technologies, and more.
· Event recap video
· Full photo report on how it was there at the PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan 2026
Alexander Grizov
Аs tradition has it, before the start of the event, PLUS-Forum Steering Committee Chairman Alexander Grizov addressed the audience: “I welcome all participants as the Chairman of the PLUS-Forum Steering Committee and CEO of PLUS Group! I would like to quote Russian bard Yuri Vizbor: 'How wonderful that we're all gathered here today!' I am grateful that the event is once again supported by the country's key regulators: The National Agency for Prospective Projects of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan. This is the 6th PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan, which we are organizing in such a promising and beloved market as Uzbekistan. Over the years, our platform has earned well-deserved interest of the state and business as a hub for crystallization of information about the best global technologies and business cases. In this capacity, Digital Uzbekistan facilitates key initiatives aimed at achieving a higher level of interaction among government agencies, fintech, banking, microfinance institutions, retail and e-commerce, the payments, IT, and telecom industries. That's why leaders, innovators and experts in digital transformation, e-Gov, RegTech, fintech, and banking are with us today. Together, we will discuss key issues of the digital future of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region as a whole. We are confident that this year's PLUS-Forum will once again be a large-scale, cross-sectoral event that helps us better understand each other's challenges and share needs and best practices. Good luck and successful, intensive work to all of us!”
Konstantin Grizov
Co-Chairman of the PLUS-Forum Steering Committee, Konstantin Grizov, recalled that Digital Uzbekistan annually brings together key players from the Central Asian and EAEU markets, as well as world-class experts.
“In 2026, over 2,600 delegates from 38 countries applied to participate, including the USA, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, the UAE, Singapore, Türkiye, Switzerland, Cyprus, Haiti, the Baltic and CIS countries, and many others,” noted Konstantin Grizov. “Over 130 speakers will take part in the event, and more than 100 exhibitors will present their products, technologies, and services in the exhibition area. Representatives of the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the National Bank of Georgia, Uzum Bank, Alipay, HUMO, Revolut Digital Assets Europe, Mastercard, Freedom Bank Kazakhstan; Halyk Bank; Wallet In Telegram, YandexAds, Wildberries, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and many others.
On behalf of the Steering Committee, I would like to thank our partners, without whom this Forum would not be what it is now. Title Sponsor: Octobank. National Sponsor: HUMO. Strategic Sponsor: TUSSON. General Sponsor: Palo Alto. Thank you for joining us. We have built this Forum as a hub for knowledge, experience, and connections. And I see it's working. Two days are ahead. Make the most of every minute—in the conference hall, at the exhibition, and on the sidelines. That is where partnerships are born to later become success stories. May we all have productive work!”
PLUS-Forum 2026 was supported by the key market players.
Title Sponsor – Octobank.
National Sponsor — HUMO.
Strategic Sponsor — TUSSON.
Palo Alto Networks
General Sponsor — Palo Alto Networks.
See the full list of partners on the official website of the event.
PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan 2026 demonstrated its industry significance. Thus, an agreement between the Marketing Association of the Republic of Uzbekistan and PLUS Group was signed during the event.
The Marketing Association of the Republic of Uzbekistan and PLUS Group signed a memorandum.
The parties agreed to jointly organize conferences, exhibitions, seminars, and business forums, as well as to engage in mutual consultation and experience exchange.
Mukhammadiyev Kamronbek Innatillo ug‘li
Mukhammadiyev Kamronbek Innatillo ug‘li, Head of the Department of Development and Regulation of E-Commerce at the National Agency for Prospective Projects of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NAPP), highlighted the role of Uzbekistan as one of the region's most dynamic markets in terms of digital transformation, electronic payments, and e-commerce.
“It is no coincidence that we have gathered here in Tashkent. This is one of the most dynamic and promising markets—a true engine of digital transformation in the region. We are witnessing unprecedented growth in electronic payments, the rapid development of e-commerce, and a financial sector ready to embrace innovation,” the NAPP representative noted, emphasizing that the state keeps working to enhance market transparency and openness.
Roman Tretyakov
Roman Tretyakov, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Octobank, emphasized that Uzbekistan is strengthening its position as a digital leader. The Forum’s agenda focuses on the updated “Uzbekistan-2030” strategy. The PLUS-Forum serves as a unique platform for direct dialogue between providers of technological solutions and those setting ambitious national objectives.
Victor Orlovski
Victor Orlovski, Silicon Valley investor, Managing Partner, R136 Ventures, delved into how to build a venture capital ecosystem in Uzbekistan, highlighting what to focus on and what should not be done. He cited the experiences of Silicon Valley, Israel, the UAE, and Singapore as examples. He noted that Tashkent has every chance of becoming a global financial hub— “like Dubai.” A central point of his speech was that venture capital seeks talent, and the competition for talent is essentially a competition for capital. Uzbekistan’s young population is an incredibly powerful resource that must be leveraged, alongside the adoption of promising new technologies. The expert believes the time has come for Uzbekistan to commit to venture capital.
During the first plenary session “Uzbekistan on its way to a modern digital society. Specific development features and promising development areas” participants discussed key trends and challenges of the financial sector transformation.
Shukhratbek Kurbanov
Session moderator Shukhratbek Kurbanov, independent expert in banking & payment systems, agreed that Uzbekistan is currently one of the region's most promising countries where the financial sector has been digitalized energetically.
Sardor Uzakov
Sardor Uzakov, Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Leader of FI and Digital Transformation practice in Central Asia, noted that banks in Uzbekistan are well-placed for developing digital ecosystems. However, many market players need to shift from a traditional product-centric approach to a model focused on actual customer needs.
Roman Lavrentev
Roman Lavrentev, Uzum COO, Uzum FinTech CEO, reminded the audience that the Uzbek IT holding company Uzum became the country's first “unicorn” in March 2024. He also noted that Uzum is currently Uzbekistan's leading digital ecosystem, creating synergy between fintech and e-commerce.
Javlon Israilov
Javlon Israilov, Head of AI Development and Digital Platform Regulation at the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, focused his presentation on the antitrust regulation of digital platforms, highlighting specific national regulatory features and the application of international best practices.
Varlam Ebanoidze
Varlam Ebanoidze, Head of the Fintech and Suptech Development Department at the National Bank of Georgia, informed that Georgia's financial landscape presents a unique case study. In a country of 4 million people, a status quo has emerged where a few highly agile, tech-savvy incumbent banks control 80% of the market. Under these conditions, the regulator's traditional supervisory mandate proved insufficient to foster genuine competition. Consequently, the regulatory approach shifted away from rigid administrative pressure toward creating a suitable environment for digital experimentation.
Yalkunchan Ganiev
Yalkunchan Ganiev, Executive Director, Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, discussed the new digital technologies in lending. When analyzing digital processes, the bank used AI-driven monitoring of the intended use of funds for both business loans and mortgages.
Dr. Tariq Qureishy
A key figure at the PLUS-Forum was Dr. Tariq Qureishy, CEO of the Future Readiness Institute, who outlined the basic risks and challenges associated with implementing AI-based technologies. He noted a unique position of Central Asia: the region need not play catch-up with Western nations but can instead leap directly to new models of AI adoption, bypassing stages others have already passed. According to him, the key question today is not whether to implement AI, but how to do so responsibly and for the greatest societal benefit.
Tariq Qureishy observed that while artificial intelligence is already reshaping corporate operations, this does not mean the human role will disappear entirely.
“AI won't replace people. But people who use AI will replace those who don't. A human + AI will replace a human alone,” the renowned futurist concluded.
The session “Development of infrastructure and technology: 21st century. New generation offices. Updating the tasks faced by ATM and POS terminal networks” was moderated by renowned expert in banking Ulugbek Tavakkalov.
Ulugbek Tavakkalov
He highlighted the clear trend toward the active digitalization of the financial sector and noted how the philosophy of the ATM industry and traditional banking as a whole is changing in view of that.
Artem Rusakov
Artem Rusakov, Sales Manager at TOPPAN Security, discussed the card business and modern aspects of card issuance. He emphasized that, despite the adoption of digital technologies, the bank card remains a key symbol of customer loyalty. It is now crucial to create a unique payment experience that would optimize customer-centricity. The primary goal today is to turn every instance of card usage into a unique customer experience.
Kirill Obsyannikov
Independent expert in self-service banking development Kirill Ovsyannikov, also addressed the issue of customer-centricity in this sector, outlining key objectives and new industry approaches.
Timur Mehherremov
Timur Mehherremov, Head of the Software Development Department for Automated Equipment at NBA TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, discussed the fundamental function and evolution of ATMs and offered a forecast for the future development of ATM infrastructure.
Maxim Daryoshin
Maxim Daryoshin, Head of ATM network at OZON Bank, shared his vision for the future of the ATM and card industries.
Aleksandr Leshchev
Aleksandr Leshchev, Head of Self-service Systems Development Department at Alfa Bank, explained how the bank transformed its branch operations following an extensive study of global customer experiences, creating a fundamentally new type of banking office space.
Pavel Dergai
Pavel Dergai, Deputy CEO, TUSSON, noted that in the near future—both in Uzbekistan and across Central Asia—cash usage will not decline despite the financial sector's digital transformation, given the public's high level of trust in this payment method. That’s why, he believes, it is vital to build a seamless infrastructure for the mass acceptance and processing of cash.
Dilshod Qurbonboyev
Dilshod Qurbonboyev, General Manager, State Unitary Enterprise Republican Collection Service of the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan, dedicated his report to the theme “Digitalization of cash collection in retail: From the traditional model to intelligent self-collection”. The speaker delved into best practices and highlighted their economic impact.
Artem Saidov
Artem Saidov, Head of Cybersecurity practice in Uzbekistan, KPMG, moderated the session “Cybersecurity of banking and payments business. Social engineering, cyber threats and other challenges”.
Mirzabek Bobojanov
Mirzabek Bobojanov, Head of Unit at the Cybersecurity Center "CERT-CBU", Central Bank, identified the transformation of approaches to cybersecurity in the banking sector as a key objective. This involves shifting to a risk-based approach, enhancing the banking sector's resilience and transparency, and assessing and improving the financial sector's information security maturity. According to the expert, the Central Bank is currently developing new cybersecurity requirements for credit institutions, with distinct standards between large versus small banks. Financial organizations will also conduct self-assessments of their cybersecurity maturity; the Central Bank is set to launch the first questionnaire in July 2026.
Asset Ordabaev
Asset Ordabaev, Head of Government Relations in Central Asia and Mongolia at Kaspersky, noted that the number of cybersecurity incidents nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. Reviewing the cybersecurity landscape of 2025, he highlighted the growing prevalence of telephone fraud in Central Asia, an issue already encountered by 72% of users. The expert emphasized that improving cyber hygiene among the general public is a critical priority.
Artem Kalashnikov
Artem Kalashnikov, Director of Information Security Transformation at Hamkorbank, focused his presentation on the topic “From Information Security to an IS Ecosystem” and examined a trend such as supply chain attacks.
Maxim Prakhov
Maxim Prakhov, SOC Transformation Lead at Palo Alto Networks, discussed the technological aspects of cybersecurity in his presentation titled “Cortex XDR - effective protection against attacking AI, vulnerability management, DLP, built-in Agentic AI”. The core principle of the new approach is the use of artificial intelligence to counter AI-driven cyberattacks. According to the expert, it is crucial to initiate a process across financial institutions to objectively assess each organization's preparedness for the challenges of the immediate future.
Tatiana Deshkina
Tatiana Deshkina, Product Portfolio Director at VisionLabs, shared the company’s experience in detecting deepfakes within the banking and finance sectors. She noted that global financial losses resulting from deepfake usage exceeded $200 million in the first quarter of 2025 alone.
Zohir Mirzaev
Zohir Mirzaev, Director of the Information Security Department at Asakabank, named his presentation “VPN 3.0: A survivor's confession: designing access systems in an infrastructure chaos”. He discussed the specifics of VPN Next Generation , a next-generation technology, which incorporates principles such as Zero Trust and strict access segmentation—implemented “at the application level rather than the network level.”
Yevgeniy Gertsen
Yevgeniy Gertsen, Managing Director for Digital Transformation Department, Otbasy Bank, outlined the bank's strategy for ensuring security without compromising user convenience. He explained that three protection methods were selected: multi-layer identification, behavioral monitoring, and development process control at the bottom level (prior to the production launch). Key aspects were developed in collaboration with the regulator and subsequently scaled to other banks.
Olga Yarigina
According to Olga Yarigina, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, Bank 131, Head of the EDB Committee on Financial Markets and Banking Operations, cyber challenges currently represent one of the most pressing issues, affecting not only the financial sector but any industry involving direct human interaction. The expert examined main current threats and future risks, noting that losses from cyberattacks in the Russian Federation totaled 1.5 trillion (!) rubles in 2025, while the average financial losses suffered by citizens due to remote theft rose by 5%. Russia ranks sixth among the countries targeted, the US is in the top spot, and Uzbekistan not mentioned in the ranking.
Ismail Ahmed, CEO & Founder of Yalla-Hack, focused his presentation on so-called cybersecurity diplomacy. The expert examined technical standards for international technology partnerships designed to protect participants from cyber threats.
Business lunch “AI in a bank: case studies, implementation, and value calculation” took place as part of the Digital Uzbekistan PLUS-Forum. It was moderated by Alexey Katrich, Director, Fintech Solutions & Revenue.
Alexey Katrich
Participants discussed real-world cases and analyzed AI application in the financial sector, as well as approaches to calculating value and building a program for AI implementation within a bank. Special attention was paid to the competencies and resources a team should have to ensure successful commercial implementation of AI/ML solutions. They also discussed how to advocate for an AI project with bank management, including calculating the case's value, justifying investments, and measuring return. Yandex Uzbekistan's offerings for Central Asian banks were also presented.
The lunch went off in a relaxed yet businesslike atmosphere—a format conducive to an open exchange of experiences and useful connections.
The session “Artificial intelligence. The use of AI at the national level, in business, technology, and finance. Best Practices. AI and security” was moderated by Vladislav Dolenko, Director for Digitalization and Innovation at AIN Property Management.
Timur Saliyev, Head of the IT Infrastructure Support and Information Security Department, National Agency of Prospective Projects of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NAPP), spoke about the role of the state in regulating AI, machine learning, and other areas of digitalization. The speaker noted that since January 2026, the agency has reviewed over 100 TORs involving artificial intelligence technologies. And on March 14, 2006, an order was approved establishing ethical rules for the development of artificial intelligence technologies.
Mikhail Khasin, Deputy Chairman of the Board, CIO, Halyk Bank, informed that by the end of 2026, the bank has set a goal of reaching a level where 30% of all code will be written using generative artificial intelligence. The expert also reviewed a number of true-life cases involving AI, with anti-fraud systems being focused on.
Alexander Seldemirov
Alexander Seldemirov, Ratexa co‑founder, building AI solutions for leading digital banks; CEO of ITQuick Global, recalled the forecast for 2026, when “AI will generate AI.” According to the expert, AI transformation management systems, such as AI-Hub, are crucial in this context. He cited the case of Armenia's Evocabank as an example.
Sergey Kozlov
Sergey Kozlov, Advisor for the Board Chairman, CEO of AI at SQB bank, discussed AI transformation processes and the technologies used in banks today. As the speaker noted, we are currently witnessing the democratization of AI use—in other words, the results of this technology becoming more widely available.
Evgeniya Umen
Evgeniya Umen, Head of Architect, HUMO NIPC, discussed how customer experience is evolving in the era of AI. Not all companies are yet successfully redesigning their processes to benefit the customer experience—according to a study, as few as 5% of businesses in Uzbekistan have reached Level 2 maturity in this area. According to the expert, it is crucial for banks to have a single point of customer service, rather than five or six disparate systems, and AI is successfully achieving this goal. Equally important is the use of AI in loyalty systems, as it also offers significant potential.
Dmitry Parshuto
Dmitry Parshuto, Sales Director, BFSI Central Asia, Сreatio, discussed the topic “AI automation as a competitive advantage for banks” from the perspective of a manufacturer of banking IT systems. The expert noted that the demand for AI technologies in banks today is very high, and identified the tasks most frequently automated with the help of AI agents, including sales. At the same time, he emphasized that we are not talking about directly replacing “human” bank employees with AI systems. As an example, he cited the AI case of the NASDAQ exchange.
Alexander Sokolov
Alexander Sokolov, Head of Payments Solutions, LIFEPAY, analyzed the AI transformation processes in merchant acquiring and shared the company’s experience in AI-based digitalization and business processes restructuring. According to him, with digitalization, new roles began to appear in the company - employees who help adapt to other employees not yet advanced in the use of AI (anent the alleged substitution of human staff by AI). Yet the time to market was reduced by 50%.
Alibek Yessov
Alibek Yessov, Head of Consulting business Development, Mastercard, spoke about the specifics and advantages of such a new area of AI application as Agentic commerce. The expert placed particular emphasis on the new stage in the development of commerce that opens us as a result of the widespread adoption of AI agents, as well as owing to the role of Mastercard in the development of this area, including the creation of the Agent Pay platform.
Vadim Jeleascov
Vadim Jeleascov, CEO & co-Founder, UpCode. GovTech-solutions, Moldova, compared the implementation of AI in the GovTech and banking sectors based on his company’s experience gained in specific projects implemented in these sectors. As the speaker emphasized, AI agents are not introduced in government agencies to slim down the bureaucracy, but to increase the efficiency of these entities. After all, if the state is “slow,” business cannot boast of a high level of digitalization and processes efficiency either.
One of the key sessions was “Crypto currency industry 2026. Solutions for modern crypto platforms. Roadmap for the development of crypto”, moderated by Sandor Hasznyuk, Head of Compliance, Digital Assets, Banking Circle; Chairman, Central Asia Committee, Hong Kong FinTech Industry Association (HKFIA). He discussed scaling digital asset finances through global banking infrastructure.
Arlen Moldabekov
Arlen Moldabekov, Head of Innovation and Digital Assets Division of Department of Payment Systems and Digital Financial Technologies, National Bank of Kazakhstan, discussed the evolution of regulation and legalization of digital financial assets and cryptocurrencies in the country. A number of timely adopted laws on digital financial assets and cryptocurrency played a significant role in this process:
• The Law on Digital Assets (2023).
• The Digital Code (October 2024).
The documents have formed a common legal framework. At the same time, while large crypto exchanges licensed by the state are in place in Kazakhstan, only exchanges within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) are permitted to operate legally.
Mikhail Korneev
Mikhail Korneev, Business Owner of Core Products, ASTERIUM, touched on the topic of tokenization, highlighting the specifics of building next-generation crypto ecosystems.
Diyorbek Mukhammedov
Diyorbek Mukhammedov, Country Manager (Uzbekistan), Wallet in Telegram, also touched on the tokenization of real-world assets, detailing the incorporation of RWA in the Telegram wallet. According to the speaker, the transformation of tokens into the Web3 space makes these assets more accessible.
Askarjon Zakirov
Askarjon Zakirov, Head of crypto-assets turnover sphere development department at the National Agency of Prospective Projects of the Republic of Uzbekistan (NAPP), noted that starting in 2018, Uzbekistan has established the first basic requirements for regulating crypto assets. The country became one of the first jurisdictions to recognize crypto assets as a property right.
Yiannos Ashiotis
Yiannos Ashiotis, Managing Partner, Pnyx Hill; Board Chairman, Revolut Digital Assets Europe;
Board Member, StoneX Europe, noted: “Regulation is becoming a competitive advantage in the crypto industry. Early on, there was a perception that crypto was all about decentralization and creating something unique, but this also created many problems because the industry essentially operated on the fringes of financial services. The new financial era requires the interoperability of digital assets with traditional financial services. Tokenization is the way digital assets will democratize the financial industry.”
Gani Uzbekov
Gani Uzbekov, Founder CEO, S1LKPAY, dedicated his presentation to the implementation of stablecoin cards.
Sergey Kravtsov
Sergey Kravtsov, co-Founder & CEO, Papaya Finance, informed that the stablecoin payment market currently exceeds $320 billion. During his presentation, the speaker discussed the creation of a payment infrastructure for recurring payments in stablecoins.
Zhanargul Izimova, Director, Financial Services Strategy Consulting Leader in Eurasia, Strategy &, part of PwC, moderated the session “Fintech. Digital transformation of the financial industry. RegTech. Risk analysis and management. Regulatory compliance automation”. She set the framework for the discussion, where digital transformation was considered not as a mere image project, but as a necessary phase of the financial industry development.
Kirill Korolev
Kirill Korolev, Director of Fintech Strategic Development, Wildberries Central Asia, noted that e-commerce has long ceased to be a mere sales channel. According to him, marketplaces are gradually evolving into full-fledged financial ecosystems. They form their own payment layers, develop customer scenarios, and become part of users' daily financial behavior.
Anton Chen
Anton Chen, Business Head for CIS Region, Alipay+, presented his perspectives on the changing cross-border payments, QR compatibility, embedded financial services, and ecosystem payments. The key takeaway from his presentation was that cross-border payments are no longer a mere mechanism for transferring money between countries, but are becoming an infrastructure of trust between digital ecosystems.
Nadir Parpiev
Nadir Parpiev, Deputy Head of Service for promoting the development of digital signature key registration centers, Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, spoke about the development of digital trust infrastructure. AI, cross-border payments, electronic services, and the digital economy cannot develop sustainably without trust in identification, data, and government digital systems.
Bogdan Zadorozhny
One of the most insightful presentations was made by Bogdan Zadorozhny, Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer, 8B. He discussed the development of national QR systems, cross-border interoperability, and new account-to-account payment routes, which are gradually becoming an alternative to the infrastructure built around bank cards.
“Central banks’ unified QR code is the main fintech trend of the decade,” noted Bogdan Zadorozhny. This is no longer just about user convenience or payment speed. National QR models allow countries to better control their payment infrastructure, transaction routing, and ownership of payment flows.
Alexey Afonin
The practical application of artificial intelligence in the banking sector was the topic of presentations by Alexey Afonin, Vice-President on development, U-BSS, and Mikhail Danilin, Head of Digital Corporate, Ipoteka bank OTP Group. The speakers presented an approach where the AI CX Platform becomes a new operational layer for the bank. The presentation discussed Agentic AI, AI BI, Explainable AI, voice assistants, AI orchestration, and empathic artificial intelligence.
Mikhail Danilin
“AI should monitor the entire customer journey—before, during, and after the interaction,” noted Alexey Afonin.
Aliaksei Karnaukhau
Aliaksei Karnaukhau, ex Chief Data Officer, IpotekaBank, OTP Group, focused on data, data governance, and modern regulatory requirements. His presentation highlighted several key requirements for regulatory data: data origin, scale, quality, transparency, reproducibility, stability, data sharpening, and consistent logic. He argued that data management is no longer a separate technical function; it is becoming part of a bank's operational architecture. This is an important signal for the financial industry: RegTech is becoming more than just an area of reporting automation; it's a prerequisite for banks' transparency, resilience, and preparedness for new regulatory requirements.
Denis Tur
Denis Tur, CEO, STRATTURA Consulting; ex-CDO at Ural Bank of Reconstruction and Development, presented an overview of global technological trends in fintech. Those include AI Agents, Programmable Money, Multimodal AI, Open Banking, Hyperautomation, Embedded Finance, and RegTech with AI. The most notable part of the presentation was the investment data: “Today, about 80% of global and venture capital investment is related to AI.”
Igor Mushakov
Presentation by Igor Mushakov, an independent expert and practitioner, became one of the most debating ones. He focused not on the technologies themselves, but on organizational culture, without which digital transformation often fails. The expert discussed problems common to many companies in the region: legacy systems, shadow IT, vendor lock-in, disparate architectures, manual processes, unstable infrastructure, and a lack of expertise.
Zhanargul Izimova
Zhanargul Izimova's presentation became a systematic conclusion of the session. She presented digital transformation as the intersection of three elements: strategy, operating model, and culture. According to her, about two-thirds of companies fail to achieve measurable results from digital transformation. The reasons include a lack of concord at the management level, a lack of ownership, a lack of a transformation center, weak change management, poor data quality, and insufficient integration of projects into daily business operations. This part of the discussion led to the main conclusion: digital transformation cannot be successful if it exists separately from strategy, operating model, and corporate culture.
Participants in the session “Small and medium-sized businesses. SMEs as a priority economic sector” discussed how to build a digital ecosystem around the customer. Session moderator Ulugbek Tavakkalov, an expert with 23 years of experience in the banking industry, noted that SMEs offer numerous jobs, significantly contributing to the development of the national economy.
Dmitriy Komissar
Dmitriy Komissar, Leader of E-commerce practice, Financial Services, Strategy& Eurasia, part of PwC, spoke about how to effectively build an ecosystem involving SMEs. The speaker emphasized that the rapid population growth in Uzbekistan and the low penetration of financial services indicate clear potential for the industry's development in this area, especially considering that SMEs contribute 52% to the country's economy. This clearly demonstrates the importance of SMEs, meaning the share of lending and financial services for SMEs will only grow year after year.
Aleksandr Chernoshchekin
Aleksandr Chernoshchekin, Ex-Head of SME, deputy CEО, MBANK Kyrgyzstan, declared expressly that SMEs are the engine of financial development, as their share exceeds 50% not only in Uzbekistan but also in other Central Asian countries. In turn, the digitalization of payments makes cooperation with SMEs increasingly attractive for banks.
Roman Tretyakov
Roman Tretyakov, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Octobank, spoke about the bank's technology platform, which has become a driver of SME development. The speaker noted that the banking sector could aim to create a digital financial platform where data and digital processes will become the foundation for growth and operational efficiency.
Laylo Asanova
Laylo Asanova, Director of the B2B Partnerships Department, Alphacon, discussed the company's operations and entry point for SMEs. She noted that though technology accelerates processes, it is people who create an atmosphere of trust.
Philipp Larin
Philipp Larin, Vice-President, International Payment Alliance, choose the topic of international settlements for SMEs for his presentation.
Alexey Maslov
Alexey Maslov, Advisor to the Chairman of the Executive Board, HUMO, spoke about the importance of building ecosystems that include individuals, businesses, banks, marketplaces, and government agencies, ensuring mutually beneficial interactions. The speaker also noted the clear shortage of bank cards in Uzbekistan and reviewed the relationship between providing customers with bank cards and the country's overall economic growth. “This is important not only for domestic settlements but also for international payments,” he emphasized.
Gala evening party
The logical conclusion of the first day of the event was the gala evening party.
Epic Fail Night
It included a buffet, Epic Fail Night—candid stories from opinion leaders about failures and mistakes, live music from MILAN BAND, sets from DJ Khan, and, of course, the highlight event —the ceremony PLUS Galaxy Award DU 2026.
PLUS Galaxy Award DU 2026
The PLUS Galaxy Award is presented annually to the most successful projects and the most talented teams operating in the Uzbek and other Central Asian markets, as well as to the authors of the frontmost publications on the PLUS Group information products.
This year, the awards were presented to representatives of companies, banks, payment systems, fintech, venture capital market, crypto industry, artificial intelligence players, Islamic finance, and mass media that contributed to the development of the digital agenda in Uzbekistan and Central Asia.
The Organizers congratulated the winners, noting that their achievements contributed to the development of the region's digital future.
During the first day, it was repeatedly noted that the Central Asian region is currently one of the most promising platforms for business. Therefore, one of the main objectives of the PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan is the effective digital transformation of the state infrastructure, giving additional impetus to the development of the economy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, supporting international cooperation and the development of new promising large-scale projects.
The International PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan is a high-quality and effective networking event, a mutually beneficial dialogue between top managers and specialists from a wide range of industries and sectors in Central Asia.
Digital Uzbekistan allows for the consolidation of efforts in scaling services and facilitates the expansion of communications in the international market.
The PLUS-Forum is a unique platform for ideas and business connections.
Click here to read the results summary of the second day of the 6th* International PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan.
* На сайте ошибка - написано «5-го» форума https://fintech-retail.com/2026/06/02/digital_uzbekistan_2026/?ysclid=mqtsx658h9461876973
We invite you to take part in the upcoming PLUS-Forum:
• Digital Tajikistan 2026 – November 26, 2026, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
The next PLUS-Forum Digital Uzbekistan will be held in 2027.
Stay tuned for announcements!