Zina Asankojoeva is the first female governor of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic. A graduate of the Kyrgyz State University with a degree in accounting and business analysis, she spent her early career working at the State Bank of the USSR in Bishkek, rising first to the rank of deputy chief accountant and, later, chief accountant.

She joined the Kyrgyz government after the country gained independence from the Soviet Union, running a number of finance units before rising to overall head