Central Bank law: CBU acts to be registered within 10 working days, without approval from the Chamber of Commerce and the business ombudsman

The Senate has approved a law expanding the independence of the Central Bank. Some of the CBU’s regulations will be registered under a simplified procedure within 10 working days, and mandatory approval of drafts by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the business ombudsman will be abolished. The law is not yet in force: it is awaiting the President’s signature.

The law was approved on 2 October 2026. It amends four laws: “On the Central Bank”, “On guarantees of freedom of entrepreneurial activity”, “On the Chamber of Commerce and Industry” and “On regulatory legal acts”. It was drafted on the basis of IMF and World Bank recommendations following the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) carried out in late 2024 and 2025.

Simplified registration

• Deadline: 10 working days, subject to a positive opinion from the CBU’s legal department
• Registration checks only compliance with the Constitution and laws
• Such acts will take effect without a three-month delay. This delay is normally mandatory for acts that make doing business harder

In addition, mandatory approval of the CBU’s draft regulations by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the business ombudsman is abolished.

Which acts the simplified procedure covers

• Monetary policy
• Prudential standards for credit institutions
• Corporate governance, internal audit and risk management in banks
• Regulation of household debt burden
• Prevention of systemic financial crises
• Payments and payment systems

Inspections of the Central Bank

The CBU may be inspected only by decision of the Senate or in cases provided for by law.

What this means in practice. New CBU requirements for banks, other credit institutions and the payments market will be able to take effect faster, without approval from the Chamber of Commerce and the business ombudsman and without a three-month pause. The market will have less time to prepare.

Banks, microfinance and payment institutions should monitor CBU drafts and new acts regularly and plan resources for updating internal documents in advance. Borrowers should keep an eye on debt burden rules, as they affect access to credit.

Photo: MirfayzbekAbdullayev, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)