Insights & Updates

19 February 2026

President Mirziyoyev signed decree No. 25 on 16 February 2026, mandating full alignment of Uzbekistan's technical regulation, standardisation, metrology and accreditation systems with international best practices. The reforms introduce market surveillance, a new national conformity mark, sector-by-sector adoption of international standards and significant institutional restructuring, with phased implementation running from 2026 to 2028.

18 February 2026

President Mirziyoyev signed Decree No. 21 on 16 February 2026, formally closing the 2023 to 2025 phase of the national development strategy and launching a revised framework to 2030.

26 January 2026

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 23, signed on 23 January 2026, introduces a significant upgrade to Uzbekistan's mandatory digital marking system.

23 January 2026

A new law establishing the first legal definition of artificial intelligence and setting general rules for the use of AI technologies has been adopted in Uzbekistan.

15 January 2026

A new presidential decree sets ambitious targets for Uzbekistan's textile, garment and leather industries for 2026 to 2027.

5 March 2026

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 90, adopted on 3 March 2026, approves the regulatory framework for Uzbekistan's creative economy sector.

7 March 2026

Presidential Decree No. 35, signed on 5 March 2026, sets out a comprehensive package of measures to boost pharmaceutical production, attract investment, promote exports and strengthen R&D infrastructure.

16–19 June 2026

Uzbekistan's flagship investment event returns for its fifth edition, bringing together heads of state, ministers, multilateral institutions and international investors.

3 February 2026

A draft Law on Transport sets out a unified statutory framework consolidating all commercial transport activity under a single instrument.

17 March 2026

Order No. 284 establishes mandatory ethics rules for AI development, deployment and use in Uzbekistan.

15 March 2026

Presidential Decree No. 38, signed on 10 March 2026, establishes the Cybersecurity Strategy for 2026 to 2030.

18 March 2026

A series of regulatory changes are reshaping the operating environment for international FMCG companies importing food and beverage products into Uzbekistan.

14 March 2026

Uzbekistan is in the final stages of its three-decade journey to join the World Trade Organization.

27 March 2026

Law No. 1125, signed on 26 March 2026, introduces significant amendments to Uzbekistan's Law on Personal Data. The amendments replace the broad data localization obligation for all citizen data with a targeted regime covering three specific categories - biometric, genetic and telecom user data - while establishing three new legal bases for cross-border data storage and processing.

29 March 2026

Law No. 1126, published on 28 March 2026, introduces amendments and additions to multiple legislative acts to establish a comprehensive legal framework for Islamic banking activities in Uzbekistan. The law amends the Central Bank law, the Civil Code, the Law on Banks and Banking Activities, the Law on Credit Information Exchange, and the Tax Code to integrate Islamic financial principles into the country's regulatory architecture.

29 March 2026

Uzbekistan's amendments to the Personal Data Law represent more than a technical regulatory adjustment. The reform was driven by sustained pressure from international businesses, fast tracked through parliament with unusual speed and confidentiality, and signals a broader shift in how Uzbekistan approaches digital economy governance. The real test now lies in the implementing regulations that will determine whether the new framework delivers on its promise.

15 April 2026

Cabinet Resolution No. 136, signed on 13 April 2026, sets ambitious targets for Uzbekistan's e-commerce sector through 2030 and introduces a bonded warehouse experiment running from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2028. The experiment creates a new customs regime allowing residents and non-residents to store goods in free warehouses and sell them to individuals through specialized e-commerce platforms at reduced customs rates, while also targeting 30 trillion soum (approximately $2.5 billion) in e-commerce turnover, 7,500 new jobs and $300 million in investment projects by 2030.

7 May 2026

Presidential Decree No. 30, signed on 7 May 2026, launches a full rewrite of Uzbekistan's Administrative Liability Code. A new Interagency Commission and Working Group have been established under the Presidential Administration and Ministry of Justice to lead the process, with the draft due by 1 April 2027. The reform aims to modernise sanctions, expand judicial oversight, and strengthen procedural protections for businesses and individuals.

8 May 2026

On 5 May 2026, the President signed three legislative acts reshaping Uzbekistan's healthcare sector and simultaneously replaced the entire Ministry of Health leadership. The package targets a 30% private sector share in medical services by 2030, introduces unified licensing and accreditation requirements, creates new investment vehicles including a $200 million credit line, and mandates full digital integration of medical information systems by 2027.

30 May 2026

A draft Law on Financial Penalties was published for public consultation from 13 to 28 May 2026, introducing for the first time a unified statutory framework governing how financial sanctions are imposed on legal entities across all regulatory sectors. The law sets out binding principles of proportionality, legality and due process, establishes procedural rights for businesses, and creates a prohibition on double penalties. For international companies operating in Uzbekistan, the draft represents a material shift in the legal architecture of regulatory enforcement.

15 May 2026

On 12 May 2026, the President signed two acts establishing a new Food Safety Committee as the single state authority for food safety, phytosanitary and veterinary oversight, and appointed Azizbek Urunov, Uzbekistan's chief WTO negotiator, as its first chair. The reform introduces risk-based control along the entire food chain from field to table, mandates alignment with international standards including Codex Alimentarius, WOAH and IPPC, and sets out a roadmap of regulatory changes running through to early 2027. Upcoming measures include new requirements for product labelling, packaging and advertising including dietary supplements, phased elimination of mandatory certification, and a unified digital platform integrating all inspection and registry functions.

6 June 2026

A draft law amending the Customs Code and the Code on Administrative Liability was published for public consultation from 18 May to 2 June 2026. The draft introduces a dedicated customs liability regime with specific offences and fines for undervaluation, unlawful disposal of goods under customs control, and misuse of customs preferences, alongside procedural changes to debt collection, customs broker liability, and simplified rules for express carriers and international postal shipments. While the final text may still change, the overall direction is clear: a structured, proportionality-based customs liability framework is coming. For international companies, this represents the most significant change, introducing detailed evidentiary standards, statutory defences, and a structured penalty reduction mechanism for voluntary early payment.

15 July 2026

On 13 July 2026, Uzbekistan enacted a Constitutional Law establishing the Tashkent International Financial Centre as a special legal regime territory. The Centre operates under its own regulatory framework based on English common law, with a dedicated financial services regulator, an independent international commercial court, and a comprehensive tax and customs exemption regime running to 2076. The law permits a broad range of financial services including banking, capital markets, Islamic finance, digital assets and fintech, and introduces an investment tax residency programme for qualifying individuals. For international financial institutions, investment managers, fintech companies and professional services firms, the Centre represents a materially new entry point into the Uzbek and regional market.

17 July 2026

A draft Ecological Code was published for public consultation from 30 June to 15 July 2026, replacing Uzbekistan's fragmented environmental legislation with a single comprehensive statute. The draft introduces mandatory environmental impact assessment for a defined list of activities, a new permitting architecture, environmental liability based on actual harm caused, an expanded polluter pays principle, and climate-related obligations including greenhouse gas reporting and carbon market mechanisms. While specific provisions may be adjusted before adoption, the overall direction represents a material shift toward structured, internationally aligned environmental governance. For companies in extractive industries, energy, manufacturing, construction and agriculture, the draft establishes a significantly more demanding compliance baseline.

10 July 2026

The Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade has prepared a draft Presidential Decree approving Uzbekistan's FDI Attraction Strategy to 2030. Building on annual inflows that grew 4.3 times between 2021 and 2025 to reach $38.4 billion, the strategy shifts focus from volume to quality: diversifying away from a single country that currently accounts for 44% of all FDI, doubling the share of high value-added sectors from 7% to 15%, and targeting an investment grade credit rating by 2030. It introduces a new investment facilitation architecture, expands investor protection guarantees, and sets out a detailed regulatory and institutional roadmap. As with other recent draft instruments, specific figures and measures may be revised before adoption, but the overall direction and ambition are clear.

20 July 2026

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 388, signed on 16 July 2026, sets out the detailed operational rules implementing the bonded warehouse e-commerce framework introduced by Presidential Resolution No. 136 in April 2026. The resolution establishes registry requirements and procedures for bonded warehouse operators and special e-commerce platforms, defines customs clearance procedures for goods sold to individuals, and sets out the obligations, rights and liabilities of all participants. For companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce into Uzbekistan, this is the operational rulebook that makes the April framework actually usable.

1 August 2026

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 415, signed on 29 July 2026, approves a list of 49 foreign states and territories deemed to provide an equivalent level of personal data protection under Article 27(1) of Uzbekistan's Personal Data Law. That article, introduced by amendments signed on 26 March 2026 and in force since 27 March 2026, permits most categories of personal data, except biometric and genetic data and telecom user data, to be stored and processed abroad subject to this list or approved alternative safeguards. For international companies with data flows into or out of Uzbekistan, this resolution is the operative rulebook for cross-border transfer compliance.

25 July 2026

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 396, signed on 21 July 2026, approves the founding statute of the Food Safety Committee and the statute of its dedicated Development Fund, implementing the Committee's establishment announced in May 2026. The statute sets out the Committee's full regulatory toolkit, including licensing, registration, market surveillance, border control and recall powers, and confirms that the Committee will be substantially financed by fees paid by the businesses it regulates. For companies in food, agrochemical, veterinary and related sectors, this document defines exactly how the new regulator will interact with them in practice.

15 August 2026

A Constitutional Law on the Presidential Administration, signed on 14 August 2026 and effective the same day, gives formal constitutional-level status to the body that coordinates and oversees the work of the Cabinet of Ministers, regional governments, courts and security structures on behalf of the President. Of particular relevance to investors, the law explicitly assigns the Administration responsibility for coordinating, monitoring and controlling projects the President designates as priority or strategic, spanning investment, infrastructure, industry, energy and transport. For international companies, this law is less about a specific new rule and more about where institutional power and accountability for major projects and reform execution now formally sit.

20 August 2026

On 19 August 2026, Uzbekistan enacted a Constitutional Law establishing the International Digital Technologies Center as a special legal regime territory dedicated to digital technology innovation, investment and education. Modelled closely on the Tashkent International Financial Centre established in July, the Center operates under English common law where domestic law is silent, features a "Regulatory Sandbox" for testing new technologies and products, guarantees freedom of artificial intelligence research and development, offers a foreign education regime free from mandatory alignment with state curricula, and provides tax and customs exemptions until 2100. Disputes are resolved by the Tashkent International Commercial Court. The law takes effect six months after official publication. For international technology companies, AI developers, venture investors and foreign universities, the Center represents a new dedicated jurisdiction for digital economy activity in Uzbekistan.

21 August 2026

An order of the National Agency for Prospective Projects, registered with the Ministry of Justice on 19 August 2026, approves a detailed notification procedure that e-commerce platform operators, order aggregator operators and digital streaming service operators must follow before starting or when terminating operations in Uzbekistan. The regime is only open to entities registered as legal entities of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The regulation sets out required data and documents, same-day electronic processing, grounds for rejection, suspension and court-ordered termination, and an ongoing monitoring regime. It takes effect on 24 September 2026. For any company running or planning to run an e-commerce platform, marketplace, delivery aggregator or streaming service in Uzbekistan, this procedure is now a mandatory precondition to lawful operation.