The President of Uzbekistan laid the foundation stone for a new complex and visited an artificial intelligence laboratory. For banks and payment services, this signals an expansion of the developer pool beyond the capital.
What happened
During a trip to the Namangan region, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev laid the foundation stone for an IT park in the town of Yangi Namangan. At the same time, the head of state visited an artificial intelligence laboratory at the Namangan State Technical University. This was reported by the Telegram channel FinTechRetail.
The laboratory is already operating as a base for practical student training. It includes centers for analysis, robotics, and bionics, as well as a startup accelerator. To train specialists, nine smart classrooms and two specialized AI training rooms have been equipped.
The future IT park will focus on projects in artificial intelligence, smart transport, ecology, and agritech.
Country and market
Uzbekistan is consistently moving the development of technological solutions beyond Tashkent. For the financial sector, the emergence of regional AI laboratories opens access to new talent and local R&D centers.
The stated focus areas of the Namangan IT park directly intersect with the interests of banks. Agritech developments could become the foundation for AI scoring of farms and the issuance of targeted agricultural loans. In turn, smart transport technologies are applicable for automating transactions in logistics and urban transit.
Why it matters and what’s next
Shifting the focus to regional IT parks allows banks and payment services to reduce their dependence on the capital’s labor market and find ready-made teams for niche AI products.
The further development of the site will show how quickly local startups from the university accelerator can integrate their solutions into the country’s real financial services.