Uzum Secures Over $130 Million in Strategic Investment Led by the Sovereign Entities of the Sultanate of Oman

WHY THIS MATTERS: The strategic investment into Uzum signifies more than just capital inflow; it validates the embedded finance model’s supremacy across rapidly digitizing emerging markets. While the Western world often sees fintech and e-commerce as separate sectors, the integrated super-app approach—combining commerce, digital banking, payments, and lending under one roof—is proving to be the most effective strategy for capturing market share at scale in regions like Central Asia. This significant funding, anchored by regional sovereign wealth, highlights a growing global investor conviction in Uzbekistan’s digital economy as a high-growth frontier. The capital focus on expanding infrastructure and access to digital services for over half the national population demonstrates the economic power of inclusive, vertically integrated platforms that simultaneously drive adoption and financial inclusion. This model is now a global blueprint for creating national-scale digital infrastructure.

Uzum, Uzbekistan’s leading digital ecosystem, is pleased to announce the closing of a strategic investment exceeding $130 million, anchored by the sovereign entities of the Sultanate of Oman.

The transaction combines primary equity and structured capital and establishes a $2.3 billion pre-money valuation reference point, with conversion terms linked to the Company’s next qualified financing round. The investment marks a significant step-up from Uzum’s previous funding rounds and materially strengthens the Company’s positioning ahead of its Series B.

The transaction also includes participation from existing international shareholders VR Capital, Tencent, and FinSight Ventures, underscoring strong international confidence in Uzum’s long-term growth and Uzbekistan’s rapidly expanding digital economy.

The capital will be used to accelerate Uzum’s next phase of growth across its core verticals — e-commerce, digital banking, payments, and consumer lending — with a focus on expanding product depth, strengthening infrastructure, and increasing access to digital services nationwide. Uzum has built a fully integrated ecosystem combining commerce and fintech at a national scale. Its platforms — including Uzum Market, Uzum Tezkor, Uzum Bank, and Uzum Nasiya — are used by over 20 million people, representing more than half of Uzbekistan’s population.

Global conviction in Uzbekistan’s growth story

The Investor brings long-term regional expertise and a strong focus on high-growth consumer and technology markets. The partnership reflects growing international interest in Uzbekistan as one of the most attractive emerging digital economies globally.

“This investment is a strong endorsement of both Uzum’s strategy and Uzbekistan’s digital potential,” commented Djasur Djumaev, Founder and CEO of Uzum. “We are focused on building an infrastructure of national scale — technology-driven, inclusive, and designed for everyday use by millions of people and businesses. The support from the Investor, alongside our existing global shareholders, gives us strong momentum as we prepare for Series B and continue scaling our ecosystem.”

Uzum was advised on this transaction by DLA Piper. The Investor was advised by Greenberg Traurig.

FF NEWS TAKE: This investment unequivocally moves the needle, not just for Uzum, but for Central Asian digital ecosystems as a whole, establishing a robust valuation marker for regional growth. The backing from sovereign entities brings necessary long-term stability and geopolitical endorsement. What we must watch for next is how rapidly Uzum executes its product depth expansion—specifically in its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and consumer lending products—to further consolidate its dominance against potential international competitors eyeing this rapidly expanding market.