Georgia’s electricity consumption to grow by 3.4% on average over the next decade

The value of export increased by 21.1 percent reaching USD 2,44 billion, while the import decreased by 4.9 percent and amounted to USD 5.69 billion.The trade deficit equaled USD 3,25 billion and its share in trade turnover constituted 40%.

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According to the National Bank of Georgia, there is an increase of 154 million in April. The regulator announces net foreign exchange purchases of up to $500 million in Q1/2026, which became possible against the background of a favorable macroeconomic environment.The NBG's April activity and trading volume will be announced on May 25. March saw net sales of $16.2 million. Net purchases in February-January exceeded half a billion dollars.

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Pension portfolios showed strong growth in April after a volatile March. The fund said that easing tensions in the Middle East, in particular a ceasefire between the US and Iran, and better-than-expected quarterly results from major technology companies, had a positive impact on investor sentiment.The most profitable portfolio in April was the dynamic portfolio (with a high share of equities), which increased by 5.12%. During the same period, the balanced portfolio increased by 3.79%, and the conservative portfolio - by 2.25%.Since the beginning of the year (YTD), all three portfolios are in the positive range: Dynamic: 6.35% Balanced: 5.35% Conservative: 4.57% “Optimism related to artificial intelligence and the growth of the semiconductor sector had a particular impact on those portfolios with a high share of international equities,” the fund said.According to the fund, the number of participants in the pension scheme reached 1.735 million people. As of April 30, 2026, 31,286 individuals have already benefited from the accumulated pension, to whom a total of GEL 153.2 million has been issued.The total investment income received since the foundation of the fund (since August 2023) is GEL 2.6 billion. During the same period, the annualized return of the dynamic portfolio reached 15%, making it the highest-yielding portfolio.

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Lion Finance Group (BGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 110.30/share (+1.66% w/w and +2.22% m/m). More than 353k shares traded in the range of GBP 105.70 - 117.40/share. Average daily traded volume was 62k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of BGEO shares traded was at 0.82% of its capitalization.TBC Bank Group (TBCG LN) closed the week at GBP 46.62/share (- 2.18% w/w and -0.43% m/m). More than 303k shares changed hands in the range of GBP 45.06 - 48.74/share. Average daily traded volume was 47k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of TBCG shares traded was at 0.54% of its capitalization.Georgia Capital (CGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 38.75/share unchanged w/w and -3.37% m/m). More than 253k shares traded in the range of GBP 37.95 - 39.50/share. Average daily traded volume was 63k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of CGEO shares traded was at 0.74% of its capitalization.

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In 2025, the labour force participation rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year, to 54.5 percent, while the employment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points, to 46.9 percent. The labour force participation rate in urban settlements decreased by 0.5 percentage points, while in rural settlements it remained unchanged compared to the previous year. The employment rate in urban settlements decreased by 1.2 percentage points, while in rural settlements it increased by 1.1 percentage points, to 47.3 percent and 46.3 percent, respectively.In 2025, the share of employees in total employment was 69.3 percent, which is 0.8 percentage points higher than the previous year.In 2025, the unemployment rate in urban settlements increased by 1.3 percentage points compared to the previous year, while in rural settlements it decreased by 2.1 percentage points.In 2025, compared to the previous year, the unemployment rate decreased the most in RachaLechkhumi and Kvemo-Svaneti, Kvemo Kartli and Guria, by 3.1, 2.9 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively.Traditionally, the unemployment rate is higher for men than for women. In 2025, compared to the previous year, this rate increased by 0.2 percentage points for women, while it decreased by 0.3 percentage points for men.The labour force participation rate is higher for men than for women. In 2025, the rate was 44.2 percent for women and 66.3 percent for men. Compared to the previous year, the labour force participation rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points for women, while it increased by 0.1 percentage points for men.In 2025, the employment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points for women, while it increased by 0.2 percentage points for men compared to the previous year.In 2025, the highest rate of unemployment was in the age group of 15-19 years (39.0 percent), while this indicator was the lowest in the population aged 65 and over (3.5 percent) due to the low activity of the population in this age group.

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GeoStat also reports that Georgian residents made a total of 328,800 tourist visits abroad, a 1.7 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of the previous year.The largest share of visits, 46.7 per cent, was made by residents aged 31 to 50, with women accounting for 45.6 per cent of all visits.The agency’s report reveals that the most common purpose for visits in the first quarter of 2026 was to visit friends or relatives, accounting for 35.3 per cent of trips. The most popular destinations were Turkey and the Russian Federation, with 172,400 and 89,300 visits, respectively.Additionally, GeoStat notes that the average duration of visits was 6.8 nights, a 1.4 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of 2025 (6.7 nights). Remarkably, 99.1 per cent of these visits were repeat trips.Expenditure during these visits reached 629.1 million GEL, a significant 30.7 per cent rise from the same period in 2025. The average spend per visit also increased by 26.9 per cent, amounting to 1,267.7 GEL.

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Some 1,200 delegates are expected to attend the ecclesiastical assembly. The session will include addresses by candidates for the Patriarchal throne, as well as speeches from delegates representing various eparchies. A scholar will also deliver a historical overview relating to the title of Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia.The Georgian Public Broadcaster’s First Channel will partially broadcast the expanded Church council. Specifically, the opening of the assembly, as well as the voting process, will be aired live; the proceedings will be suspended during the counting of votes, and the final result will be announced on air. The chairman of the vote-counting commission, Metropolitan Anania (Japaridze), will announce the outcome of the ballot.Only bishops are entitled to participate in the vote to elect the Catholicos-Patriarch. The candidate who receives more than half of the votes cast by the participating bishops, in this instance, 20 votes, shall be deemed elected as Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.The candidates for Catholicos-Patriarch are: the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku (Mujiri); Metropolitan Iobi of Mroveli-Urbnisi (Akiashvili); and Metropolitan Grigoli of Poti and Khobi (Berbichashvili).Georgia’s 141st Catholicos-Patriarch, Ilia II, passed away on March 17 at the age of 93.

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Ex-Dividend Date: 13 August 2026 Record Date: 14 August 2026 Currency Conversion Date: 21 August 2026 Payment Date: 11 September 2026 The Georgian Lari to Pound Sterling exchange rate that will apply to the 1Q 2026 quarterly dividend payments on the conversion date of 21 August 2026 will be the average exchange rate of the National Bank of Georgia for the period of 17 August 2026 to and including of 21 August 2026 (5 days average).The Board of Directors of TBC Bank Group PLC ("TBC PLC"), subject to shareholders' approval, is recommending a final dividend for the year 2025 of GEL 3.87 per TBC PLC share (the "Final Dividend"). If approved, the Final Dividend will be paid on 22 June 2026 to shareholders who are on the register of members at 6:00 PM (BST) on the record date of 22 May 2026, in accordance with the following timetable: Ex-Dividend Date: 21 May 2026 Record Date: 22 May 2026 Currency Conversion Date: 5 June 2026 Payment Date: 22 June 2026 The Georgian Lari to Pound S The Final Dividend, together with the aggregate previously paid interim dividends of GEL 5.0 per TBC PLC share (which were paid quarterly), will equate to a total dividend in respect of the year ended 31 December 2025 of GEL 8.87 per share, up by 10% year-on-year. This brings the total dividend payout ratio for 2025 to 35% and total distribution as a share of net profit to 40%, including a buyback of GEL 75 million.The total number of voting rights in TBC PLC as at 28 February 2026 is therefore 55,726,793 (the "Total Voting Rights").

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