“Banks of the Future” Conference Held in Tashkent: Digital Transformation of Central Asia’s Financial Sector

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Over 100 participants took part in the “Banks of the Future” conference, organized by the European-Uzbek Association for Economic Cooperation (EUROUZ), ASEE, and PLATMA.

The event was held in a hybrid format at the Hilton Tashkent City and brought together leading representatives from the banking, fintech, and technology sectors to discuss the digital transformation of financial services in Uzbekistan and Central Asia.

Opening the conference, Ketevan Antidze, member of the EUROUZ Council and Director of Commerzbank AG’s Tashkent office, Rino Miletich, ASEE Manager, and Yaroslav Kologrivov, co-founder of PLATMA, emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration, support for financial digitalization, and strengthening the technological infrastructure of Uzbekistan’s banking system.

Keynote speaker Sarvarbek Sadullaev, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Technology Development Department at the Ministry of Digital Technologies, presented Uzbekistan’s strategy to become a regional IT hub, modernize digital infrastructure, and support fintech innovation.

Yaroslav Kologrivov introduced the Bank 6.0 concept — a transition to fully digital, intelligent banks focused on automation and client-centric services.

Participants discussed practical cases of digital solutions implementation: Kresheimir Shulyak (ASEE) demonstrated tools for supporting SMEs through digital onboarding; Timur Norov (SQB Bank) presented products aimed at accelerating economic growth; and representatives from Kapitalbank, TBC Bank Uzbekistan, Ipak Yuli Bank, and Paynet shared experiences of collaboration with fintech companies and the development of non-traditional financial services, including cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets.

The conference also featured a presentation of the winners of the innovation track hackathon and the official signing of an agreement between PLATMA and ASEE, establishing PLATMA as ASEE’s strategic partner and exclusive reseller in Uzbekistan. Additionally, SQB Ventures and PLATMA announced the launch of a joint acceleration program to support startups and promising technologies.

“Traditional banks pursuing innovation must not only support startups but also engage reliable partners capable of integrating ideas into complex operational processes,” said Igor Grzhalya, President of ASEE Croatia. He emphasized that partnership with PLATMA will enable Uzbek banks to successfully promote digital products and services while improving client communication through unified platforms.

The “Banks of the Future” conference provided a platform for experience exchange and strengthened cooperation between traditional financial institutions, fintech companies, and technology developers in the region.