DIGITAL AGRICULTURAL FINANCE IN UZBEKISTAN: BRIDGING THE RURAL CREDIT GAP THROUGH AGRI-FINTECH PLATFORMS
Abstract
This thesis examines the potential of agricultural FinTech platforms to address the structural credit gap in Uzbekistan’s rural sector, where 67 percent of farming households currently have no access to formal financial services. By integrating satellite imagery, weather data and crop yield analytics into credit scoring models, agri-FinTech platforms can reduce lender information asymmetry, lower collateral requirements and extend credit to previously unserved smallholder farmers. Simulation modelling indicates that nationwide deployment of a standardised agri-FinTech framework could increase rural credit coverage from 33 to 58-65 percent within five years, adding an estimated 1.4-1.9 billion USD to agricultural sector output annually. The thesis proposes a phased regulatory framework and a public-private co-investment model for platform infrastructure.