Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Anorbank continues to operate normally despite reports by foreign media concerning the situation surrounding one of its shareholders, the bank’s press service said.
The bank emphasized that the information being circulated concerns the shareholder’s personal affairs and has no connection with the financial institution’s capital, management or current operations.
The comment followed a report published by Russian outlet The Insider on 18 September. Citing a source close to Kahramonjon Olimov’s circle, the publication reported that the financier had allegedly been remanded in absentia in Uzbekistan and placed on an international wanted list in connection with a kidnapping case.
The Insider separately noted that there was no official confirmation that such a criminal case exists.
According to the publication’s source, the alleged case may be related to a long-running financial dispute between Olimov and Batyr Rakhimov, the founder of Kapitalbank. Olimov previously worked at the bank and held a stake of more than 36%.
The Insider reported that Olimov may be accused of organizing Rakhimov’s kidnapping in an attempt to make him abandon financial claims. These allegations have not been officially confirmed by Uzbek law enforcement agencies.
Anorbank said it had not received any official notifications or requests related to the information being circulated.
The bank stressed that reports based on unverified and anonymous sources should not be conflated with the financial institution’s activities.
“Mixing these issues is incorrect and unacceptable,” Anorbank said in a statement.
The bank said all operations are being conducted as usual, customers continue to receive banking services normally, and its obligations to customers and partners are being fulfilled.
The Central Bank of Uzbekistan also commented on the situation on X. The regulator confirmed that Anorbank continues to operate without changes. Deposit, lending and payment operations, as well as other banking services, are being provided without interruption.
The Central Bank said circumstances involving an individual shareholder do not determine the bank’s day-to-day operations or financial stability.
According to the regulator’s data as of 1 September, Anorbank’s assets amounted to 21.4 trillion soums, while liabilities stood at 19.8 trillion soums.
Highly liquid assets accounted for 16.9% of total assets, compared with a minimum regulatory requirement of 10%.
The bank’s liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) stood at 116%, while its net stable funding ratio (NSFR) was 128%.
The Central Bank’s minimum requirement for each of these indicators is 100%.
The bank’s regulatory capital adequacy ratio was 13%, against a minimum requirement of 12%.
The Central Bank said these indicators comply with current prudential requirements.
The situation surrounding Olimov previously received attention in France. In July 2025, Le Monde reported that the businessman had filed a complaint with French law enforcement authorities alleging that he had been kidnapped.
According to Olimov’s account, he was abducted in central Paris on 23 June and taken first to an unknown location and then to a villa in Nice. The businessman said he was beaten there and demanded to provide money. He claimed to have signed a receipt for US$5 million and, through his driver, transferred US$200,000 to an intermediary in Tashkent. After his release, Olimov contacted French police.
Le Monde reported that French authorities were investigating a kidnapping allegedly carried out by an organized group. One suspect was placed in custody. Olimov himself linked the incident to a long-running dispute with former business partners.
In November 2025, The Insider and L’Express published their own investigation, questioning several circumstances described in Olimov’s account. The reports referred, among other things, to his correspondence with a person whom the businessman identified as being involved in the kidnapping, as well as other circumstances surrounding the case.
The versions and assessments presented by the media do not in themselves constitute established facts.
Official information from Uzbek law enforcement authorities concerning the criminal case referred to in The Insider report is not provided in the material.
