The number of registered cybercrimes in Uzbekistan has increased almost 13-fold over the past five years — from 4,800 to more than 62,000 cases. The total damage during this period exceeded 3.8 trillion soums, with more than half of this amount occurring in 2025. These figures were presented by participants of the Silk Road Finance and Technology Forum in Tashkent.

The rise in cyber threats is occurring against the backdrop of the rapid spread of digital payments. The share of users of such services in the country increased from 39% in 2021 to 72% in 2025.

Banks are already actively using artificial intelligence to combat fraud. Since the beginning of 2026, thanks to anti-fraud systems, about 18 million suspicious transactions have been blocked. However, technology does not guarantee complete protection: fraudsters are increasingly using social engineering and deepfakes. In one case, attackers impersonated a Central Bank employee during a video call, after which they convinced a client to transfer a large sum to them.

The Central Bank of Uzbekistan intends to strengthen control over the cybersecurity of banks. The regulator is moving from a compliance-oriented approach to a risk-oriented one and is preparing a new system of requirements with four levels depending on the scale and digital maturity of organizations.

At the same time, banks have begun to exchange information about cyber incidents. Forum participants called cooperation and prompt data exchange key conditions for combating modern fraud schemes.