A SUPPLEMENT TO EUROMONEY - April 1997Banking sectorThe banking sector consists of 29 banks supervised by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan. Four are state-owned, two are privately owned and the rest function as joint stock commercial banks and companies with limited liabilities. The majority of the banks are still state-owned and sector oriented. The largest state-owned banks are the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity (NBU), Asaka Bank, Promstroi Bank and Pahta (Agricultural) Bank. A few small private banks have opened along with three foreign joint ventures. The largest foreign joint venture bank is ABN AMRO Bank N.B., Uzbekistan, majority-owned and managed by ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Netherlands, which offers a full range of services. Minority shareholders are the NBU, the IFC and the EBRD. The other foreign joint venture banks are UT (Uzbekistan-Turkish joint venture) and Uzprivatbank (whose foreign shareholders are AIOC and Mees Pierson). RestrictionsThe most important restrictions for companies operating in Uzbekistan are the following : 1. The foreign exchange market is strictly regulated. Foreign currency can only be purchased on the basis of an underlying transaction (import contract, interest/dividend payment etc.) |