IT Park Uzbekistan and Plug and Play Central Asia & Caucasus held the country’s first corporate Fintech dealflow session — an important step toward structured cooperation between major financial institutions and technology startups.

 

Since Plug and Play Tech Center entered the market, the goal has been straightforward: introduce its global corporate innovation model and create direct collaboration opportunities for industry leaders and startups. Less than a year later, this approach is now operating in practice.

 

Eight startups from previous Plug and Play acceleration programs — Karmon AI, Smartup, MoliyAI, Azma Finance, Flexsoft, pDaftar, Verifix, and Aisha AI — presented their fintech and AI solutions to Ipak Yuli Bank, Hamkorbank, Xalq Banki, BRB-TECH, and the National Bank of Uzbekistan.

 

A notable detail: this session was initiated by the banks themselves. Institutions sent senior representatives responsible for product development, innovation, and digital transformation — a level of engagement that indicates stronger demand for practical technology partnerships.

 

"The first corporate dealflow session demonstrated that banks and companies in Uzbekistan are prepared to collaborate with startups on specific technological challenges. This demonstrates the market's growing maturity and openness to innovation.

 

The launch of GovChallenges has reinforced this process by giving startups direct access to government agencies. More than 10 requests from the Central Bank on Fintech already confirm the real demand for technological solutions and open up new opportunities for innovation in the sector," emphasized Elyor Maksudov, Startups and investments development director.

 

The event was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, IT Park Uzbekistan, and Plug and Play Central Asia & Caucasus, reflecting their joint commitment to developing the country’s innovation infrastructure.

 

More corporate innovation activities and cross-industry programs are planned for the coming months.