PROSPECTS FOR APPLYING THE Z-SCORE MODEL IN ASSESSING FINANCIAL STABILITY IN THE UZBEKISTAN BANKING SYSTEM

PROSPECTS FOR APPLYING THE Z-SCORE MODEL IN ASSESSING FINANCIAL STABILITY IN THE UZBEKISTAN BANKING SYSTEM

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  • S. Gaybulloev

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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19695123

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Z-Score, financial stability, bank risk, return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), capital adequacy ratio (CAR), cost-to-income ratio (CIR).

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This paper investigates the prospects for applying the Z-Score model to the assessment of financial stability
in the Uzbek banking sector. The study is based on monthly financial data spanning 2020 to 2024 for three institutions -
Aloqabank, Asia Alliance Bank, and Mikrokreditbank which represent distinct ownership models and strategic orientations
within the national banking system. The bank-adapted Z-Score formula, Z = (μROA + E/A) / σROA, is employed to
quantify each institution's distance from insolvency, where μROA denotes mean annual return on assets, E/A is the yearend
equity-to-assets ratio, and σROA captures the standard deviation of monthly ROA observations within each year.
The results demonstrate that Asia Alliance Bank posted a sustained upward trajectory in financial stability, with Z-Scores
rising from 20.93 in 2021 to 53.36 in 2024, driven by robust profitability gains (ROA increasing from 0.54% to 4.91%) and
steadily improving cost efficiency (CIR declining from 49.43% to 35.45%). Aloqabank exhibited moderate but variable
stability, peaking at 34.42 in 2021, declining to a trough of 14.82 in 2023 amid earnings volatility and a temporary breach
of the regulatory capital adequacy minimum, before partially recovering to 22.19 in 2024. Mikrokreditbank recorded
exceptionally high Z-Scores of 100.85, 133.83, and 351.63 in 2021–2023 respectively, reflecting an extremely low standard
deviation of ROA characteristic of government-directed specialized lending, but experienced a sharp deterioration to 7.86
in 2024 when the institution posted negative mean ROA of −0.57%. The findings contribute to the empirical literature on
banking stability in transition economies and yield actionable implications for bank supervisors and management teams

Биография автора

S. Gaybulloev


Independent Researcher
Tashkent International University of Kimyo

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2025-12-01
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