Episode 3-Uzbekistan's Economic Evolution

Located on the ancient Silk Road crossing Central Asia and South Asia, Uzbekistan has a deep historical legacy and rich culture.Over the past six years, Uzbekistan has engaged in a reform agenda and has been a success both in economics and foreign direct investment. Despite impressive growth, the country faces domestic challenges as well as broader risks including the impact from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a faltering global economy and increasing geopolitical risk.In our third episode, we spoke to Odilbek Isakov, the former Deputy Finance Minister from 2019 to 2023. Prior to this, he served as an Advisor to the Minister and Head of the newly established Debt Management Office in September 2018.He is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Infrasia Capital, an advisory firm based in London and Tashkent focusing on infrastructure projects in Uzbekistan and other frontier markets.During the conversation we touched on topics including:Key reforms since 2017Uzbekistan's journey in the international capital marketsThe potential of Islamic finance and sukuk in UzbekistanFDI levels and opportunitiesHow Tashkent manages geopolitics Emerging climate risks in UzbekistanIntro theme song-'Tales of the Arabian Nights' composed by StudioKolomna via Pixabay