Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 3 May, a high-level meeting was held between Manraj Sekhon, Chief Investment Officer of Templeton Global Investments, and Jamshid Kuchkarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation.

The meeting was also attended by Marius Dan, Franklin Templeton’s Director for Central Asia, Bobur Khodjaev, Deputy State Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Khurshed Mustafayev, and other senior officials.

Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest and most reputable investment firms, offers services in asset management, mutual funds, private equity, infrastructure, digital assets, and fintech.

Discussions focused on expanding cooperation in key areas, including Franklin Templeton’s new role as manager and trustee of Uzbekistan’s National Investment Fund, as well as broader topics such as privatization, state enterprise transformation, economic reform implementation, and engagement with international investors.

Franklin Templeton’s representative office in Tashkent officially opened on May 1, marking the start of its operations in managing the National Investment Fund. The Fund, established by Presidential Decree on 27 August 2024, is a joint-stock company fully owned by the government and holds minority shares (20% to 40%) in 18 strategic state-owned enterprises.

Participants also exchanged views on accelerating reforms to improve the performance of state-owned enterprises and discussed the ongoing privatization process of state-involved banks.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership and ensuring effective, results-oriented collaboration to achieve shared goals.