Uzbekistan Senate Endorses NDB Accession — Parliamentary Ratification Complete

Uzbekistan's Senate of the Oliy Majlis formally endorsed the country's accession agreement to join the New Development Bank on May 19, 2026, completing the parliamentary stage of the domestic ratification process. The lower house (Legislative Chamber) had passed the agreement on April 21. Uzbekistan was formally admitted as a borrowing member by the NDB's Board of Governors at the 10th Annual Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025, alongside Colombia — marking the first expansion of NDB membership to Central Asia. The Senate session cited that NDB membership 'expands the country's opportunities to attract foreign investment and finance major infrastructure projects.' A $5 billion portfolio of priority projects for Uzbekistan has been identified by the bank, covering irrigation modernization, mining sector development, and education and infrastructure public-private partnerships. Presidential ratification by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was expected within days, completing the formal accession. Uzbekistan had been a BRICS Partner Country since October 2024 (Kazan Declaration), making NDB membership the first material institutional benefit from that status. The accession widens the NDB's geographic footprint into Central Asia and reinforces the bank's trajectory as a global development institution extending well beyond its five original BRICS founders.