Uzbekistan’s first tech unicorn, Uzum, is preparing for its final pre-initial public offering (IPO) funding round next year in Hong Kong, following a US$70 million investment from Tencent Holdings earlier this year.

Co-founder Nikolay Seleznev said on Tuesday that Tencent’s August investment strengthened Uzum’s plans to pursue a public listing by 2027, with potential venues including Hong Kong, London, Abu Dhabi, or Nasdaq in the United States.