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Finance
Banks increased their Return on Equity – Rating

The most satisfied shareholders are the shareholders of the Bank of Georgia Group. ROE for every 100 GEL invested is >31 GEL. TBC ratio is 23.5%. Liberty/Basis is almost equal within 15%. Return on capital >20% is considered optimal.

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Banking sector increases profit by 18%

According to the 6-month statistics of NBG, the total profit (of profitable banks) is 1.914 billion GEL (H1/2025 - 1.619 billion. +18.2% Y.Y).All banks are profitable, except for the sanctioned VTB (-14.9 million) and Silk (-13.8 million). Also at a loss are digital "Hash Bank" (-6.2 million) and "Paysera " (-1.2 million), the 3rd digital - "Pavebank" has a 6-month net profit of 5.6 million GEL.In total, there are 19 entities on the market, including 2 microbanks (Crystal and MBC).

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Nasdaq to support the development of Georgia's banking sector

The country's five leading commercial banks Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Liberty Bank, Terabank, and Basisbank will implement the Nasdaq Calypso system on a shared infrastructure covering the full front-to-back trade lifecycle. This initiative, executed under the Georgian Market Advancement Program (GMAP) and coordinated by GFMTA, represents a significant milestone in the development of Georgia's capital markets.The five participating commercial banks account for the largest share of assets in the Georgian commercial banking sector. Their transition to a shared, internationally recognized platform marks a crucial step toward establishing Georgia as a modern and well-governed financial market.Notably, over the past five years, the Georgian commercial banking sector has experienced double-digit growth, with total assets approaching USD 38 billion a testament to the scale and dynamism of the country's financial system. Alongside this growth, demand has increased for more sophisticated treasury infrastructure capable of supporting securities and derivatives markets, enterprise-wide risk management, and increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. At the same time, the investment required to implement and maintain such infrastructure at an individual institutional level poses a significant challenge for any single bank. A shared, coordinated approach, involving sector-wide pooling of resources and expertise, represents the most efficient means of achieving this objective at scale.According to Natia Turnava, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, the modernization of Georgia's treasury infrastructure is a strategic priority for the NBG and an important step forward in the continued development of the country's financial system. She emphasized that, with the NBG's support, the shared platform will provide the reliable, world-class infrastructure needed to support the banking sector's continued growth."By migrating five leading Georgian commercial banks to a unified, internationally recognized platform, we are raising the standards of risk management, regulatory oversight, and operational resilience across the sector. This initiative reflects our commitment to building a strong and transparent financial market that fully aligns with international best practices and supports Georgia's economic growth," said Natia Turnava.Magnus Haglind, Head of Capital Markets Technology at Nasdaq, noted that Georgia serves as a prime example of how a shared infrastructure model can create tangible value."Both for individual institutions and for the financial system as a whole. Drawing on Nasdaq's experience in managing large-scale modernization programs, financial institutions gain access to deep institutional knowledge and future development opportunities without having to bear the full costs, risks, or operational complexities independently. GMAP represents precisely the kind of structured, country-level framework that ensures the success of a transformation on this scale. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support the National Bank of Georgia in this initiative and to assist the Georgian banking sector in establishing the infrastructure it needs for its next phase of growth," said Magnus Haglind.

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Gotsiridze Awaits Thursday's Auction

According to the Central Bank, as of 20.07.2026, the balance of refinancing loans has decreased to 300.5 million, and the one-month instrument has decreased by 500 million to 3 million.Investment bankers explain the decline in demand for GEL from banks simply - the sector has sufficient GEL liquidity and is not borrowing.Roman Gotsiridze explains the more than sufficient GEL liquidity in banks with the policy of the National Bank of Georgia. The supervisor focused on replenishing reserves and curbing price growth is no longer a priority.The politician (former president of the National Bank of Georgia) does not approve of the choice of the National Bank of Georgia, but he does not dislike it either. He believes that the processes could have been managed more professionally."Pension funds, government money on bank deposits, emigrant remittances converted into lari, crypto, legal and illegal financial flows, which of course benefit the banking system," - according to Gotsiridze, it is good that the sector makes a lot of profit, because this ensures the stability of the system. It is good that banks no longer need loans from the National Bank of Georgia, because they have their own resources. It is good that the National Bank of Georgia buys currency and replenishes the country's foreign exchange reserves, and at the same time, a large amount of money has accumulated in banks due to it.But it is bad that with a $1.4 billion purchase, the injection of 4 billion GEL into the market causes price increases, accelerates inflation and prevents the GEL from strengthening, which means that imports become more expensive," Roman Gotsiridze argues on social networks. If it is good, then why is it bad, and if it is bad, how can it be good?"It is not easy to say whether it is good or bad, but processes need to be managed professionally and not so rigidly," as he says, the NBG and the government manage."So the event is multi-faceted, which also indirectly shows other events," Roman Gotsiridze said.

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Five Leading Georgian Commercial Banks to Transform Treasury Infrastru...

The country’s five leading commercial banks – Bank of Georgia, TBC Bank, Liberty Bank, Terabank and Basisbank – will implement the Nasdaq Calypso system within a common infrastructure covering the full trading cycle. The initiative, implemented under the Georgian Financial Markets Development Program (GMAP) and coordinated by the Georgian Financial Markets Treasuries Association (GFMTA), represents an important milestone in the development of Georgia’s capital markets.The five participating commercial banks represent the largest share of the assets of the Georgian commercial banking sector. Their transition to a common, internationally recognized platform is an important step towards establishing Georgia as a modern and well-managed financial market.It is worth noting that over the past 5 years, the Georgian commercial banking sector has been characterized by double-digit growth, with total assets approaching USD 38 billion - which speaks volumes about the scale and dynamism of the country's financial system. Along with the growth of the sector, the demand for more complex treasury infrastructure capable of supporting securities and derivatives markets, managing corporate-level risks, and meeting increasingly stringent regulatory standards has increased. At the same time, the investment required to implement and support such infrastructure at the level of individual institutions represents a significant challenge for any individual bank. A common, coordinated approach, involving the sharing of resources and expertise across the sector, is the most effective way to achieve this goal at scale.According to Natia Turnava, President of the National Bank of Georgia, the modernization of Georgia’s treasury infrastructure is a strategic priority of the National Bank of Georgia and an important step towards the further development of the country’s financial system. She said that, with the support of the National Bank of Georgia, the common platform will provide the reliable, international-level infrastructure needed to support the further growth of the banking sector.“By moving Georgia’s five leading commercial banks to a single, internationally recognized platform, we are contributing to raising the standard of risk management, regulatory oversight and operational sustainability across the sector. This initiative reflects our aspiration to create a strong and transparent financial market that is fully compliant with international best practices and supports Georgia’s economic growth,” said Natia Turnava, President of the National Bank of Georgia.According to Magnus Haglind, Head of Capital Markets Technology at Nasdaq, Georgia is a shining example of how a shared infrastructure model can create real value.“Both for individual institutions and for the financial system as a whole. Drawing on Nasdaq’s experience in managing large-scale modernization programs, companies gain access to deep institutional knowledge and development opportunities without having to shoulder the full costs, risks or operational complexity on their own. GMAP is precisely the kind of structured, country-level framework that ensures the success of a transformation of this scale. We are pleased to have the opportunity to support the National Bank of Georgia in this initiative and help the Georgian banking sector establish the infrastructure it needs for the next stage of growth,” Magnus Haglind noted.According to Lasha Jugeli, Executive Secretary of the Georgian Financial Markets and Treasury Association, the Georgian Financial Markets Development Program (GMAP) is the result of many years of focused coordination in the Georgian banking sector and represents a turning point for the association and the financial institutions represented in it.“With the help of Nasdaq’s global expertise, the shared infrastructure with the institutional support of the National Bank of Georgia, as well as the project management funding allocated through the Japan-EBRD Cooperation Fund, our member banks are not only modernizing their operational and financial operations, but also collectively raising the standard of treasury management across the sector. We are proud to have played a central role in the implementation of this initiative and look forward to the real benefits that this project will bring to our members and the local financial markets as a whole,” he said.

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Georgia Receives $1.1 BLN in Travel Revenue in 2Q26

In the second quarter of 2026, the share of EU countries in international travel revenue was determined at 17.7% and amounted to 194.9 million USD - an increase of 12.1% compared to the same period last year.According to statistics, revenues from Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Armenia have increased by 10.3%, 49.8%, 5.6% annually and, respectively, are equal to 59.5, 53.7, 39.9 million USD. Against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, revenues from travel from Israel and Iran have decreased by 3.0% and 65.1% annually, to 123.8 and 10.2 million USD, respectively.

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GEL has been strengthening against USD by 0.9%-0.8%-0.6% for 3M26

According to the National Bank of Georgia's monthly review, in May, compared to the previous month, the average exchange rate of the lari against the US dollar strengthened from 2.6955 to 2.6806 (by 0.6%), and against the Euro from 3.1481 to 3.1315 (0.5%).At the end of May, the official exchange rate of the lari against the US dollar and the Euro amounted to 2.6693 and 3.1079. During this period, the maximum exchange rate value was 2.6916, the minimum - 2.6693 (04/2026 - 2.70%, 2.69%, respectively). In April, the GEL strengthened by 0.9% against the dollar, but it strengthened less against the Euro, depreciating by 0.1%.

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TBC Wins Multiple Awards for Banking Excellence and AI Innovation

At the same time, TBC Uzbekistan has been recognised as Central Asia’s Best Digital Bank by Euromoney, as well as winning three country-level awards: Uzbekistan’s Best Digital Bank, Best for Consumer Lending and Best Digital Bank for SMEs.In addition, Global Finance has recognised TBC Georgia for its innovative use of artificial intelligence in consumer banking. The bank received three regional awards: Best AI Chatbots and Virtual Assistants, Most Innovative Use of AI in Consumer Lending and Credit Risk, and Best AI in Risk Management in CEE.“These awards recognise the strength of our customer propositions in both Georgia and Uzbekistan, as well as the progress we are making across customer experience, digital banking, corporate and investment banking, consumer lending and the application of artificial intelligence. Our recognition as the best digital bank in both Georgia and Uzbekistan, and at the regional level in Central Asia, demonstrates the strength and scalability of our digital capabilities across the Group. By continuously redesigning customer journeys, expanding our digital ecosystems and deploying AI responsibly across customer service, lending and risk management, we are making financial services faster, simpler and more seamless, while maintaining robust risk management standards”, -  Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, CEO of TBC Group, said.

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FMO AND CRYSTAL SIGN USD 20 MILLION SENIOR LOAN AGREEMENT

In addition to the financing, the partnership includes a technical assistance component that will support Crystal's institutional development through the implementation of key strategic projects, reinforcing the bank's operational capabilities and long-term growth.Ilia Revia, General Director of Crystal, commented: " This agreement is another important step in our partnership with FMO. Over the past ten years, FMO been a majorpartner, supporting Crystal at different stages of its development. As we continue to grow as a microbank we are focused not only on growing our business, but also on strengthening our institution and creating long-term value for our clients and stakeholders. This financing will allow us to expand access to funding for Georgian entrepreneurs while accelerating our commitment to sustainable finance."Ruhi Cosgun, Manager Financial Institutions at FMO, said: “Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are a vital driver of economic growth, job creation, and resilience in Georgia. Through this USD 20 million facility, we are supporting Crystal’s efforts to expand access to finance for entrepreneurs across the country, while also increasing the availability of green finance solutions. Our partnership with Crystal has grown steadily over almost a decade, and we are pleased to continue working together to strengthen financial inclusion and support sustainable private sector development in Georgia. The accompanying technical assistance will further enhance Crystal’s institutional capacity, helping the bank deliver long-term impact for its clients and the communities it serves.”About FMOFMO is the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. As a leading impact investor, FMO supports sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets by investing in ambitious projects and entrepreneurs. FMO believes that a strong private sector leads to economic and social development and has a 55+ year proven track-record in empowering entrepreneurs to make local economies more inclusive, productive, resilient and sustainable. FMO focuses on three sectors that have high development impact: Agribusiness, Food & Forestry, Energy, and Financial Institutions. With a total committed portfolio of EUR ~15 billion spanning over 85 countries, FMO is one of the larger bilateral private sector development banks globally. For more information: please visit www.fmo.nlAbout Microbank CrystalFounded in Georgia, Crystal is recognized as one of the country’s leading financial institutions, known for its sustained growth and robust reputation. On February 12, 2025, the company officially received its microbank license from the National Bank of Georgia. With 27 years of experience, a loan portfolio of over 600 million GEL, a team of more than 1,000 employees across 47 branches, and a client base exceeding 100,000 individuals nationwide, Crystal continues to be a key player in Georgia’s financial landscape. The company maintains strategic partnerships with major international and local financial institutions.

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Remittances from Tajikistan are increasing

Remittances of Zolotaia korona increased by 3%, up to $66 million (06/2025 - 64 million).According to the National Bank of Georgia, in total, up to $348.3 million were transferred in the reporting month. The largest amount - $66.2 million from the USA.As of 01.07.2026, the USA leads the ranking of donor countries with a 19% share, although the annual growth rate is + 174%Y.Y. Tajikistan is ahead of everyone. May's favorite was China +3.038%Y.Y.

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