On 21–22 May 2026, the regional stage of CyberWeek 2.0 was held in Karshi city. The event is a joint initiative of UZCARD, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Association of Mahallas of the Republic of Uzbekistan, aimed at developing digital literacy, raising awareness of modern cyber threats and strengthening a culture of safe use of digital financial services among the population and representatives of the financial sector.
Amid the active development of digital services and the growing number of cybercrimes, particular attention is being paid to fraud prevention, personal data protection and improving users’ cyber culture.
CyberWeek 2.0 continued a series of specialized events held in 2025 in Bukhara, Nukus, Samarkand and Fergana. The project brings together representatives of the financial sector, government agencies, information security experts and regional communities to discuss current challenges in cybersecurity and the protection of users of digital services.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, over the past six years, the number of reports related to cybercrimes has increased 48-fold. In the last year alone, 82% of fraud cases and 76% of thefts were committed in cyberspace, while the total material damage exceeded 2 trillion soums.
The most widespread schemes include phishing links, online commerce fraud, pseudo-investment projects and social engineering methods. Under these circumstances, improving the population’s digital literacy is becoming one of the key tasks for the state, the financial sector and specialized organizations.
The programme of the event in Karshi was designed for two days and included expert meetings, educational sessions and practical discussions.
On the first day, a press conference and a specialized seminar for employees of the regional banking sector were held at the building of the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Participants discussed current issues related to the security of cashless payments, countering digital fraud, developing antifraud approaches and strengthening the resilience of financial infrastructure against modern cyber threats.
On the second day of the event, a seminar for representatives of the region’s mahalla system was held at 35 Mustakillik Avenue, in the building of Uzbekneftegaz. The main focus was placed on digital literacy among the population, fraud prevention, social engineering methods and raising public awareness of the safe use of financial services.
UZCARD was represented at the event by:
— Andrey Shishkin, Director for Information Security;
— Botirjon Shokamolov, Deputy Director for Information Security;
— Sabina Batyrshina, Head of the PR & CSR Department;
— Davron Khayrullaev, Head of the Department for Countering Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the mahalla system also took part in CyberWeek 2.0 as participants and partners.
Today, the development of digital financial services is directly linked to matters of trust, security and user literacy. Amid the rapid growth of digital threats, CyberWeek 2.0 is becoming an important platform for open professional dialogue between government agencies, the financial sector and society.
The initiative is aimed at forming a resilient digital environment, raising public awareness of modern fraud schemes and developing a culture of safe use of digital services across the regions of Uzbekistan.
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