Uzbekistan Accelerates Privatisation, Cuts State Role in Economy

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan is expanding opportunities for private businesses and investors as part of a new phase of privatisation.

Under Presidential Decree No. UP-177 dated 28 August 2026, state stakes in 84 business entities, 1,242 real estate properties and around 8,000 hectares of land are planned to be put up for sale. The State Assets Management Agency reported this.

The measures also provide for the liquidation and reorganisation of 85 enterprises with state participation, while 84 previously unsold assets will be offered at auction again with a starting price of 1 million soums.

The total value of the assets planned for sale is estimated at 100 trillion soums. Their sale is expected to generate at least 14 trillion soums in revenue by the end of the year.

The terms for buyers are also being eased.

Under the new mechanism, the advance payment required to purchase state assets will be reduced from 35% to 15%. The remaining amount can be paid in instalments without interest.

Additional incentives are предусмотрены for large transactions. If the full value of an asset is paid within six months, the buyer will be eligible for a 25% discount.

The measures also provide for interest-free instalments of up to five years with an initial payment of 35% of the asset’s value, and up to seven years with an initial payment of 50%.

If an asset is not sold within three months, its price will be gradually reduced. In some cases, a “hybrid auction” mechanism will be used, involving an initial price reduction followed by an increase during the bidding process.

These mechanisms will also apply to assets held on the balance sheets of state-owned commercial banks.

Land plots will be sold as “ready-made packages.”

To make land plots more attractive, the authorities plan to introduce a “ready-made package” principle. Under this approach, plots will be offered for sale with pre-prepared technical conditions for connection to utility networks and the necessary permits.

The measures also provide for the gradual commercialisation of major state universities and specialised medical centres, with opportunities to attract private capital and use modern financial instruments.

The agency said implementation of the new measures will help reduce the state’s presence in competitive sectors of the economy, expand opportunities for private entrepreneurship, attract investment and improve the efficiency of state asset management.