Uzbekistan is in the middle of a genuinely significant economic reform push, and ACCA has become a direct partner in that process — through both a Joint Examination Scheme (JES) with the Association of Certified Finance Professionals (ACFP) and, more recently, formal government-level agreements to help modernise the country's financial reporting standards.
How the ACCA-ACFP partnership works
ACFP is Uzbekistan's professional finance body and ACCA's JES partner there. Under the JES arrangement, students register with both ACCA and ACFP, satisfying the exam criteria for membership of both bodies through a single qualification route. ACCA shares exam results, subscription status and disciplinary information with JES partners like ACFP as part of this arrangement — meaning Uzbekistan-based students don't need to study separately toward two qualifications.
As with all JES partnerships, passing the joint exams doesn't itself confer ACCA membership — candidates still need to complete ACCA's Practical Experience Requirement (PER) and Ethics and Professional Skills module before applying for full ACCA membership, alongside meeting ACFP's own membership criteria.
A government-level partnership, not just a student pathway
Uzbekistan's relationship with ACCA now extends well beyond student exams. In 2026, ACCA signed formal Memoranda of Understanding with both Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan, implementing Presidential Resolution No. PP-282 (issued September 2025), which aims to align the country's financial ecosystem with international standards. Under the Ministry agreement, ACCA is working on developing finance professionals in international financial reporting and auditing standards, training-the-trainer programmes for educators, strengthening audit quality assurance, implementing sustainability reporting standards, and building public sector finance competencies. The Central Bank agreement specifically covers IFRS implementation support for the banking sector and capacity-building for banking professionals.
What this means for finance careers in Uzbekistan
A country actively rebuilding its financial reporting infrastructure at government level — moving toward international standards across both the public and banking sectors — creates sustained, structural demand for professionals who already hold internationally recognised qualifications and understand IFRS deeply. ACCA/ACFP-qualified accountants are positioned at the centre of exactly the transition Uzbekistan's government has committed to, across the Ministry of Economy and Finance's own reform programme, the Central Bank's banking-sector modernisation, and the wider private sector adjusting to the same international standards.
Why Uzbekistan is investing this heavily in financial reporting reform
Uzbekistan has pursued a broader programme of economic liberalisation over recent years, opening up to foreign investment and international trade in ways that mark a significant shift from the country's more closed economic model in earlier decades. Modernising financial reporting to international standards is a foundational part of that opening — international investors, lenders and trading partners need confidence that Uzbekistani companies and banks report under frameworks they recognise and trust, and a workforce of internationally qualified accountants is a practical prerequisite for that confidence to be credible rather than aspirational.
What this means for the shape of finance careers there right now
Because this reform programme spans government ministries, the central bank, and the wider finance profession simultaneously, Uzbekistan-based finance professionals building an ACCA/ACFP qualification now are entering the market at a genuinely formative moment — with unusually direct exposure to shaping how international standards get implemented locally, rather than simply working within an already-mature system the way a professional entering a long-established market typically would. It's a rare opportunity to build a career alongside a national institutional transition rather than simply joining a system that's already fully formed.
Frequently asked questions
Is ACFP the only recognised finance body in Uzbekistan?
ACFP is ACCA's JES partner and the body most directly involved in this reform programme, though Uzbekistan's finance profession is still developing its broader institutional landscape as these reforms progress.
How recent is Uzbekistan's shift toward international standards?
Very recent — the underlying Presidential Resolution dates to September 2025, with the ACCA MoUs with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Central Bank both signed in 2026, making this one of the most current government-level accounting reform programmes ACCA is involved in anywhere.
Do JES exams in Uzbekistan differ from ACCA's standard exams?
No — JES students sit ACCA's standard global syllabus; the partnership aligns how results count toward ACFP membership rather than changing exam content itself.
Does this reform programme affect students already partway through ACCA study in Uzbekistan?
The reforms are focused on institutional capacity and standards adoption rather than changing ACCA's own exam structure, so students already studying continue on the same global syllabus — the practical effect is a stronger local job market for ACCA-qualified professionals as employers adapt to the new reporting expectations these agreements are driving.
For more on how ACCA's qualification works internationally, see our guide to what ACCA is and its global scope, or explore Learnsignal's ACCA courses to start preparing for the exams that count toward both qualifications.
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