MANILA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday that it has approved a 300-million-U.S.-dollar policy-based loan to support Uzbekistan's efforts to expand access to finance for underserved micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The loan represents Subprogram 2 of the ADB's Inclusive Finance Sector Development Program, which builds on earlier reforms under Subprogram 1 aimed at establishing legal and institutional frameworks for inclusive finance, the ADB said in a press release.

Some of these reforms include increasing the maximum microloan size, adopting changes to microfinance regulations, joining the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code, and developing Islamic microfinance regulations, the Manila-based bank said.

"This program will help unlock access to finance for the self-employed and micro-entrepreneurs, promote gender equality, and strengthen consumer protection in the financial sector," said ADB Country Director for Uzbekistan Kanokpan Lao-Araya.