AFI’s Eastern Europe & Central Asia Policy Initiative is meeting this week in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The event, co-hosted with the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan (CBU), is being attended by AFI members from across the region, as well as representatives from Central Bank of Egypt, Reserve Bank of Fiji, and the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic.

“It is a great honor for the Central Bank of Uzbekistan to host the 15th ECAPI meeting”, said Nodirbek Saydullayev, CBU First Deputy Chairman. “We highly value the initiative’s role in fostering regional dialogue and advancing the inclusive finance agenda. Uzbekistan is strongly committed to deepening regional cooperation, aimed at building a resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem that responds to the needs of all.”

The opening day’s discussions focused on how to accelerate access to finance for MSMEs, as well as to facilitate small businesses’ adoption of green and sustainable practice – Inclusive Green Finance (IGF) was recently identified as the most common policy priority among ECAPI members.

“Sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity,” said Ashot Petrosyan, Head of Financial System Development at the Financial Stability Directorate of Central Bank of Armenia, and Chair of ECAPI’s Expert Group on Financial Inclusion Policy. “Through AFI’s knowledge exchange, we are aligning our financial frameworks with long-term environmental and social goals that benefit our region. For Armenia, this means turning global ESG standards into actionable policy that supports sustainable growth across all sectors.”

On 27 May, participants will visit agricultural and IT businesses to assess the operating environment for MSMEs in Uzbekistan, before working collectively to explore effective policy responses. The following day, external stakeholders including the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will join discussions on how to make green finance solutions available and affordable for individuals and MSMEs, and how to bridge remaining financial inclusion gaps in the region.

You can learn more about AFI’s Eastern Europe & Central Asia Policy Initiative on its webpage.