TBC Bank Uzbekistan (TBC UZ) has received a USD 12.5 million investment from Triple Jump to enhance funding and improve financial inclusion through a new SME lending product.

Details of the Investment

$5 million of this financing will be sourced from the Global Gender-Smart Fund (GGSF), managed by Triple Jump, with the remaining $7.5 million provided by Triple Jump’s ASN Microkredietpool Fund. Both funds aim to expand access to enhanced financial services in emerging markets, with a focus on women and women-led businesses supported by the GGSF.

Focusing on Financial Inclusion

This investment is designed to address the financial inclusion gap in Uzbekistan by allowing TBC UZ to extend its lending services to underprivileged groups, particularly women and those owned or led by women. This initiative underscores TBC’s dedication to providing more equitable access to digital financial services for the population.

Women Entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan

The financing supports a growing trend of women entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan, with 2.1 million women entrepreneurs as of 2024 – representing a sevenfold increase since 2020. Despite challenges such as unpaid social care responsibilities and limited access to finance, this trend is showing promising growth.

Recent Investments

This latest agreement increases Triple Jump’s total commitment to TBC UZ to USD 22.5 million. It follows an initial $10 million debt financing settlement from the GGST fund in November 2024 and a subsequent $20 million debt funding agreement with Swiss impact investor Blue Orchard in April 2025, bringing their total commitment to TBC UZ to USD 45 million. TBC UZ continues to secure diverse funding as part of its strategy to diversify its funding base and ensure sustainable growth.

TBC UZ is a key player within the digital financial ecosystem in Central Asia, encompassing Payme – a digital payment app for individuals and SMEs – and Payme Nasiya (Payme Instalments) – an installment credit service.