Uzbekistan and United States launch joint investment platform for strategic sectors

The framework was co-founded by the DFC, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, and the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development (UFRD).

The official launch ceremony took place in Tashkent on 16 June during the Tashkent International Investment Forum, with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in attendance. The agreement was finalized by DFC Chief Executive Officer Ben Black, EXIM Chairman John Jovanovic, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade Laziz Kudratov, and UFRD Executive Director Shukhrat Vafaev.

The newly formed platform will focus on identifying and supporting high-priority investment initiatives in Uzbekistan that align with the strategic and economic interests of both countries and their allies. Beyond energy and infrastructure, the platform will target capital deployments toward transportation and logistics networks, information and communications technology, and pharmaceuticals.

DFC CEO Ben Black described the launch as an essential step toward driving investment that serves mutual bilateral interests. He noted that the Trans–Caspian region stands out as one of the most strategically significant economic corridors globally, adding that the platform will help expand and secure American supply chains while generating economic growth for both nations.

According to DFC representatives, the operational design of the platform will actively seek to catalyze and crowd in additional funding from private equity, sovereign wealth funds, multilateral development banks, and other international financial institutions.

The corporation views the long–term outlook for this partnership as highly favorable, underpinned by a surging global demand for critical minerals, an escalating regional requirement for secure energy infrastructure, and expanding trade volumes moving along the Trans–Caspian transport corridor. These intersecting factors are projected to create significant opportunities to scale up international investments across Uzbekistan and the broader Central Asian region.