Decree No. UP-177: a 15% down payment for state assets and instalments of up to seven years

Presidential Decree No. UP-177 of 28 August 2026 "On additional measures to reduce state participation in the economy and accelerate privatisation" took effect on 8 September and markedly softens the terms for buying state assets.

The down payment is reduced to 15% of the purchase price, and the balance may be paid in instalments with no interest — previously about 14% a year was charged on it. A buyer who pays in full within six months receives a 25% discount; the earlier scheme gave 14% for payment within a month.

Instalment periods depend on how quickly the main part of the sum is paid: up to five years interest-free if 35% is paid within three months, and up to seven years if 50% is paid within six months. If an asset remains unsold for three months, its price is reduced in stages.

The scale of the 2026 programme: 84 stakes in companies, 1,242 real estate objects and 8,000 hectares of land worth around 100 trillion soums in total; the budget expects at least 14 trillion soums in proceeds. A further 84 previously unsold objects will be re-offered at a starting price of 1 million soums.

What this means in practice: the entry threshold for privatisation has fallen threefold, and buying a state asset now carries a burden comparable to an ordinary mortgage. Before the deal, check the encumbrances on the asset and the instalment terms in the contract: the 25% discount and the interest-free period depend on meeting the payment deadlines.

Photo: Guidecity, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)