EBRD lends close to US$ 2 billion in Central Asia and MongoliaSustainable infrastructure, SME support and green lending are top investment areasUzbekistan is the leading recipient of EBRD funds for sixth year runningIn 2025 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) invested almost US$2 billion (€1.72 billion) through 120 projects in Central Asia and Mongolia. This represents one of the Bank’s strongest operational results in the region for more than a decade.Uzbekistan was the leading recipient of EBRD funding in 2025 for the sixth year running (over US$ 1 billion (€880 million). The EBRD provided almost US$ 440 million (€378 million) for projects in Kazakhstan, US$ 218 million (€188 million) in Mongolia, US$212 million (€183 million) in the Kyrgyz Republic and US$100 million (€88 million) in Tajikistan.Almost one third of the EBRD funds supported sustainable infrastructure projects and another third went to local banks for on-lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women and young entrepreneurs, as well as for climate resilience and resource efficiency lending. A further 15 per cent of the Bank’s loans were channelled to support private companies engaged in manufacturing and providing services across Central Asia. Many of these projects stimulated the inflow of foreign direct investment. Close to 68 per cent of loans supported private entrepreneurial initiative and 53 per cent of the EBRD investment went to promote green economy projects.Renewable energyIn Uzbekistan the EBRD’s financing package of US$ 142 million (€121 million) will support the development of Central Asia’s largest combined solar photovoltaic (1 GW) and battery energy storage system (BESS, 1,336 MWh) plant. Implemented jointly with ACWA Power, the project also marks the first investment by Japanese partners in Uzbekistan’s renewable energy and battery storage sector.The EBRD also arranged a financing package of up to US$ 195.5 million (€168.5 million) for a 300 MW greenfield solar plant and a 75 MWh BESS facility in the Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan. The project is owned and developed by Masdar, a global renewable and clean energy company.In Tajikistan the launch of all six hydroelectric units of the Qairokkum hydropower plant marked the completion of a major renewable energy upgrade. The plant’s installed capacity has increased from 126 MW to 174 MW, ensuring a reliable electricity supply to 500,000 people in the Sughd province.Sustainable infrastructureIn Uzbekistan the EBRD’s sovereign loan of up to US$ 250 million (€240 million) will finance the modernisation of 110 irrigation pumping stations in 10 regions. New energy efficient pumps are expected to reduce electricity consumption by 251,000 MWh and cut CO₂‑equivalent emissions by more than 117,000 tonnes a year.A financial package of up to €45 million provided by the EBRD and the European Union (EU) will finance an increase in cargo handling capacity at the port of Aktau, Kazakhstan’s primary maritime gateway on the Caspian Sea, which was identified as one of the key elements of the Transcaspian Corridor.In Tajikistan the EBRD’s sovereign loan of up to €38 million and an US$ 86.7 million (€83.5 million) grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help to upgrade and expand the road from Dangara to Guliston. This road is an important link between the north and south of the Khatlon region – an area which generates more than 53 per cent of Tajikistan’s agricultural output and is home to 35 per cent of the country’s population.In the Kyrgyz Republic the EBRD extended a €62 million sovereign loan, which will help to build a new 53 km, 500 kV transmission line between the towns of Kemin and Balykchy near Issyk-Kul in the north-east of the country. The funds will also allow for a new 500 kV substation to be built in Balykchy.full text here: https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2026/ebrd-invests-almost-us-2-billion-in-central-asia-and-mongolia-20.html?utm_source=Email (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: EBRD