Central Asia is continuing to show strong growth in investment inflows from Asian countries, accounting for nearly 57 per cent of all capital investments in the Eurasian region, with total volumes reaching a record $68 billion.

The main driver of this surge is Uzbekistan, which has rapidly strengthened its position as a regional investment hub, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

Over the past year and a half, Asian investments in Uzbekistan have doubled from $11 billion to $22.6 billion, generating around 62 per cent of the region’s total investment growth. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan also remain major capital recipients, attracting $19.3 billion and $20.6 billion respectively.

According to a monitoring report by the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), total capital inflows from Asia into the Eurasian region exceeded $20 billion in 2024-2025, defying a global downturn in investment activity. Nearly half of this growth-around $9 billion-came from the Persian Gulf states.

The largest volumes originated from the United Arab Emirates ($16.1 billion), Saudi Arabia ($4.2 billion), Qatar ($2.4 billion), and Oman ($1.1 billion). Notably, up to 96 per cent of Gulf investments are directed specifically to Central Asian countries.

The largest investor across the entire Eurasian region remains China, with $66.1 billion invested-representing 55 per cent of all accumulated Asian investments. Chinese companies play a key role in energy, industrial, and infrastructure projects, significantly influencing regional economic integration.

EDB data show that accumulated mutual investments among 13 Eurasian countries, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine-together with Asian partners such as Afghanistan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Iran, China, Türkiye, and the Gulf states-have reached $176 billion. Since 2016, this figure has doubled, reflecting a decade of uninterrupted growth.

One of the key sectors attracting capital is electric power generation, including renewable energy projects. Over the past 18 months, more than half of all new investment inflows-$10.1 billion out of $19.8 billion-have gone into the power sector. At the same time, the share of manufacturing has risen to 23 per cent of mutual foreign direct investment, becoming a new engine of industrial cooperation.

Overall, accumulated investments from Asian countries into the Eurasian region reached $119.8 billion, up 20 per cent compared with 2023. In parallel, Eurasian countries are increasingly investing in Asia, with outbound investments totaling $56.6 billion, primarily targeting Türkiye, India, Vietnam, and China.

“We are witnessing steady growth in investment ties between the Gulf states and the Eurasian region,” said Yevgeny Vinokurov, Chief Economist of the EDB. “We expect this momentum to continue in the medium term at an average rate of about 20 per cent per year, driven by a strong pipeline of projects and deepening political and economic relations. Gulf investments are ‘mature’-companies bring advanced technologies and help develop high-level expertise in host countries.”

As a result, Central Asia-particularly Uzbekistan-is consolidating its role as a key investment hub of the Eurasian region, attracting capital and technology from across Asia and laying the foundation for long-term, sustainable economic growth.