Uzbekistan became the 10th member country of the BRICS’s New Development Bank (NDB) on June 5, and is the first Central Asian nation to join the bank. Although BRICS membership is not required to join the NDB (its membership is open to any United Nations member), Uzbekistan has been a partner member of the BRICS since its last summit in Brazil, in July 2025.
Discussions of NDB financing for Uzbekistan’s ambitious development programs are already underway. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with NDB President Dilma Rousseff on June 18, while she was in the country for the Tashkent International Investment Forum. The Uzbek news agency reported that “an agreement was reached to develop a medium-term portfolio of joint projects in energy, water management, transport, and engineering infrastructure, as well as support for the private and social sectors, with the participation of the Bank’s expert missions.”
The projects under discussion include infrastructure projects to transform the broader region. “The importance of the NDB’s participation in implementing major transport and logistics projects of regional significance was emphasized,” the news agency reported.
