Uzbekistan to require full cost disclosure in credit and installment advertising

The new rules are set out in a presidential decree signed on July 15.

Under the resolution, all advertisements for loans, installment payments, and deferred payment sales aimed at individuals must state how much will be added to the current price of a product or service and specify its final cost after all payments are made.

The document also prohibits advertisements for financial services from including guarantees or promises about future performance or returns if such outcomes cannot be determined at the time the relevant agreement is concluded.

The Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee, together with the Central Bank and other relevant ministries and agencies, has been instructed to submit a draft regulatory document implementing these requirements to the Cabinet of Ministers by September 1, 2026.

The action plan approved under the resolution also introduces additional consumer protection measures for microloan products.

Microloan agreements will be required to include a warning notice at the beginning of the contract occupying at least 30% of the initial section of the document. Advertising and promotional materials for such products must also contain warnings about their potential negative consequences.

The resolution also provides for the introduction of a mechanism allowing credit products deemed misleading to consumers to be temporarily or permanently banned.

The Central Bank and the Ministry of Justice have been tasked with preparing the necessary regulatory acts by September 2026.

The Competition Committee previously warned in October 2025 that advertisements for consumer lending products often emphasized the speed and ease of obtaining loans while providing insufficient information about the financial risks associated with debt obligations, leaving borrowers vulnerable to financial hardship.

The issue was also discussed during a session of the Legislative Chamber on March 17, 2026. Lawmakers noted that marketing campaigns for microloans tended to focus on how quickly and easily consumers could obtain credit rather than on the significant financial obligations such borrowing could create. During the session, the chamber approved legislation requiring credit advertisements to include warnings about the potential consequences of borrowing.