INTERFAX. The National Bank of Tajikistan is going to issue in the months to come banking licenses to several commercial banks, including big Russian and Pakistani banks, Chairman of the National Bank of Tajikistan Sharif Rahimzoda said at a press conference Thursday. «At present, we have under consideration applications for licenses that were submitted by Russia’s VTB, Pakistan’s Habib Bank and also from Qatar and Chinese banks» — Rahimzoda said. According to him, all these applications will be approved in the definite order of priority. «First and foremost, we’ll grant licenses to the banks that will be promoting on the Tajikistani market new banking products that are not offered by those lending institutions that already operate in the country» — the head of the national bank pointed out. «We have an open banking market and we need to draw more investments, while investors prefer to conduct business through the banks they get accustomed to» — Rahimzoda said. He went on to say that new banks will be able to meet growing demand for loans in the country.
Currently, 12 commercial banks operate in Tajikistan, with three of them 100% owned by foreign investors. These are a subsidiary bank of Kazakhstan’s Kazcommercebank, a branch of Tejarat (Iran) and the First Micro Finance Bank, 100% of which is held by Prince Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of Muslim Ismaelites. Furthermore, 75% of Sokhibcorbank is in the hands of Kazakhstan’s ATF Bank.
In 2007, VTB ranked 2nd in terms of assets in the Interfax-100 ranking, prepared by Interfax-CEA.
