On 27 March 2026, the President signed Law ZRU-1126. On 29 June it came into force, creating a dual banking system in which Shariah-compliant institutions operate alongside conventional ones on equal legal footing - with a Council for Islamic Finance seated at the Central Bank, a dedicated licensing regime, and tax neutrality including VAT exemption on sukuk and Islamic leasing. For a constitutionally secular state, it is a bet on capital, on the informal economy, and on Uzbekistan's position between the Gulf, South Asia and the post-Soviet space. The Minister makes the case.