Visa today outlined a series of AI, stablecoin, and token capabilities designed to help clients across the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA) region participate in the next generation of commerce. Ahead of the Visa Payments Forum, taking place in Paris on July 1, Visa shared how two foundational shifts — artificial intelligence and stablecoins — are transforming the front-end and back-end of commerce and money movement, and how Visa is enabling clients to adapt, scale and build trusted new experiences.“Commerce is entering a new phase that is increasingly intelligent, programmable, and embedded into everyday experiences,” said Tareq Muhmood, Regional President, CEMEA, Visa. “For companies serving the digital economy the opportunity is significant, but so is the need for trust and interoperability. Visa is focused on providing the infrastructure and intelligence to innovate confidently across the front- and back-end of payments and deliver better experiences for the consumers and businesses they serve.”Powering the Front End of Commerce with AIVisa detailed how AI is reshaping how transactions are initiated, authorized, and trusted, while also accelerating how new commerce experiences are designed, developed and delivered. As AI agents increasingly act on behalf of consumers and businesses, Visa Intelligent Commerce, the company’s platform for agentic commerce, provides the trust and controls needed for AI agents to securely discover, initiate, and complete transactions.To support this shift, Visa is working across the ecosystem to help ensure agent-initiated transactions are transparent and trusted. This includes merchant enablement through the newly launched Agent Score, created with New Generation, which allows merchants to evaluate their websites for agentic commerce readiness — specifically, whether AI agents can navigate, understand and complete tasks on a merchant’s website.  Merchants also need to know which agents can be trusted to transact on their sites, and agents need confidence that they are interacting with legitimate merchants. With the launch of Agentic Directory, Visa is providing a directory that includes agents and merchants that have been verified as legitimate participants in agentic commerce.Enhancing Tokens for AI-Driven CommerceOne of the key drivers of eCommerce growth in the CEMEA region has been the growth of tokenization, bringing more secure, convenient and seamless payments to the region across eCommerce and mobile channels. In CEMEA, Visa has seen a rapid increase in tokenized transactions, growing from 26% in 2023 to 70% in 2026.Today, tokens already carry a highly secure data set purpose-built for digital payments. As commerce extends to new channels and agents, Visa is enriching the data to provide more details on the transaction type, where the token is being used and who is making the payment. A second key advancement is a token assurance signal. Token use is evaluated throughout its lifecycle — based on provisioning and behavioral history — to generate a signal of trust behind each transaction.Together, these advancements help strengthen the role of tokens as a foundation for trusted digital and AI-driven commerce, giving clients richer context and stronger assurance as transactions become more automated, embedded and intelligent.Modernizing the Back End of Money Movement with StablecoinsVisa shared progress in modernizing settlement and value transfer through stablecoins and blockchain-based infrastructure. With Tokenized Deposits, the company will build the technology layer that can allow banks to turn traditional deposits into programmable, always-on digital money. This gives banks a way to match the speed and flexibility of stablecoins while keeping funds on balance sheet.Visa is also expanding stablecoin settlement pilots across multiple regions, blockchains and currencies. Building on its first stablecoin settlement pilots in early 2025, Visa has moved billions of dollars in stablecoins across VisaNet, with an annualized run rate of approximately $7 billion as of March 2026. With issuing banks already settling seven days a week onchain with Visa, Visa is working to extend seven-day settlement to include acquirers, increasing flexibility and frequency across the entire ecosystem. Since launch of stablecoins settlement capabilities a year ago in CEMEA, settlement volumes have increased nearly 60 times.To enable consumers and businesses to spend stablecoin balances anywhere Visa is accepted, Visa continues to expand stablecoin-linked card programs. With more than 160 programs live or in development globally, adoption is expected to accelerate.Leveraging AI to Turn Insights into IntelligenceTo help clients respond to rising customer expectations, Visa is combining modern infrastructure with data-led capabilities that can support better decision-making across the payment journey. The company is introducing an AI-powered travel intelligence capability that helps banks anticipate customer travel needs before a transaction occurs. Launching today in CEMEA, Visa Trip Intelligence combines VisaNet intelligence with third-party data and can infer travel intent, generate personalized trip itineraries and provide activation-ready insights, enabling banks to deliver timely pre-travel support, reduce payment friction and offer more relevant benefits, services and experiences to customers while they travel.About VisaVisa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at visa.com.ge. 

1782821211

Visa today announced new capabilities across Visa Accept and Visa Direct that are designed to expand how smartphones can accept and send digital payments. The updates are intended to make it easier for small businesses in emerging markets — from street vendors to growing online merchants — to manage payments using tools they already rely on.“Every tap, scan and swipe is now a defining moment in the customer relationship, and small businesses can’t afford for payments to get in the way,” said Shahebaz Khan, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa. He added, “We see a future where a single smartphone is all a seller needs to accept any way customers want to pay, gain powerful insights and confidently run their business, so they can spend less time on payment friction and more time creating the experiences that keep customers coming back.”As more commerce moves to smartphones, small businesses need simple ways to accept the payments customers use — from cards and digital wallets. Visa is helping turn the smartphone into a hub for SMB commerce, combining acceptance, payouts, and customer interactions in one device. The need is clear: Visa’s Global SMB Macro Trends Report found that 99% of surveyed SMBs use at least one digital finance tool, and 85% say at least one has helped their business. With ~530 million of the world’s 1.3 billion unbanked adults already using smartphones, the opportunity to expand digital access is significant.[1]Visa Accept: Your phone is your card terminalVisa Accept turns a smartphone into a card terminal, allowing a micro seller to accept card payments through their Visa debit or prepaid account, with no extra hardware needed. Buyers can tap to pay or pay by link, and funds can reach the seller’s account in near real-time, with the security, reliability and dispute protections expected from Visa card payments. For SMBs managing tight cash flow, speed matters: Visa’s Global SMB Macro Trends Report found that 1 in 5 surveyed SMBs face cash-flow gaps daily or monthly, while nearly 28% reported issues using or applying for credit or borrowing tools in the last 12 months.· Sellers can accept card payments using their smartphone and banking app, with faster access to funds.· Issuers can enable eligible cardholders to accept payments directly using their banking apps, helping deepen small-business engagement.· Buyers get the same Visa protections whether they are paying a street vendor or a large retailer.By 2027, Visa expects Visa Accept to be available to millions of merchants worldwide.Visa Direct: Payouts from the same phoneVisa is also using smartphones to make it easier for small businesses to pay others through Visa Direct, its real-time* money movement platform for payouts. With Visa Direct embedded in banking, fintech, and business platforms, an SMB owner can use their phone to send fast payouts to staff, contractors or drivers, issue customer refunds or incentives, and move funds across borders* to eligible cards, bank accounts or digital wallets using the same simple experience they rely on to get paid.About VisaVisa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at visa.com.ge.

1782821080

According to the NBG's interactive statistics, as of June 25, cash in circulation amounted to 7.2 billion GEL. The balance on refinancing loans amounted to GEL 4.4 billion (decreased by 1.5 billion in May, by 100 million in June). The volume of overnight loans decreased to 2 billion GEL.At the same time, the NBG's foreign exchange trading on BMatch increased: net purchases in April-May exceeded $966 billion, almost 2 times more than the trade in January-February. Which increased foreign exchange reserves.The growth of reserve assets is also affected by foreign exchange transfers received by the government, interest income on reserves, and the revaluation of monetary gold.In March, the NBG sold more currency than it bought, and accordingly, net sales were 16.2 million USD.NBG's share in total foreign exchange trade by month

1782817312

According to the National Bank of Georgia, as of 01.06.2026, loans worth 73.4 billion GEL have been issued. Of these, 31 million GEL are equivalent to foreign currency credits, the rest - 57.6% are denominated in the national currency.11.02 billion GEL is in the portfolio of resident legal entities (GEL 32.22 million). 21.2 billion GEL is in foreign currency. Dollarization of the corporate portfolio has increased to 65.8% since the beginning of the year (01.01.2026 - 64.6%).Lending to individuals is 38.7 billion GEL, annual growth is 16.4% (L/m +16.5%Y.Y)Banks by credit portfolio

1782817119

Traditionally dedicated to discussions on global financial market developments, the event brought together central bank governors from around the world, heads of international financial institutions, and leading economists. During the Annual General Meeting, financial sector representatives reviewed key challenges and opportunities facing the global economy.As part of the event, the BIS General Manager presented the Bank’s Annual Economic Report to participants, with particular focus on strategic directions for global macroeconomic policy. Discussions also covered the management of digital risks in the era of artificial intelligence and the safe integration of innovative products into the financial system.“Participation in the Basel International Forum strengthens the National Bank of Georgia’s active engagement in global financial processes and provides an important platform for sharing experience with partner central banks in the areas of modern technologies and economic policy,” said Natia Turnava.The Annual General Meeting of the Bank for International Settlements was also attended by Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank.

1782816832

According to the document, Lion Finance Group (BGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 108.70/share (-4.98% w/w and -0.18% m/m). More than 217k shares traded in the range of GBP 106.50 - 116.20/share. Average daily traded volume was 83k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of BGEO shares traded was at 0.50% of its capitalization.TBC Bank Group (TBCG LN) closed the week at GBP 44.68/share (- 1.37% w/w and +0.18% m/m). More than 239k shares changed hands in the range of GBP 43.90 - 46.22/share. Average daily traded volume was 63k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of TBCG shares traded was at 0.43% of its capitalization.Georgia Capital (CGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 38.85/share (-6.83% w/w and -3.48% m/m). More than 179k shares traded in the range of GBP 37.65 - 42.35/share. Average daily traded volume was 42k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of CGEO shares traded was at 0.52% of its capitalization. 

1782733567

The analytical director of the Banking Association is pleasantly surprised by the April statistics, the share of deposits in dirhams has increased by 1.7 times. During a visit to Business Insider, David Rusia noted that the increase in investments in the currency of the United Arab Emirates is positive in itself, as it indicates the mood of investors, they considered that investing in Georgia is possible.According to the statistics of the National Bank of Georgia, 77% of the category that considered this are resident legal entities. In the deposits of 114.5 million dirhams, the share of individuals is insignificant.David Rusia also noted the portfolio structure, traditionally up to 40% is in US dollars and 10% in Euros. At the same time, confidence in the lari is still high, and high growth in deposits in the local currency is maintained.According to the NBG's interactive statistics, excluding government deposits (GEL 5.463 billion), the larization coefficient is 45.6%.

1782477157

The share of 2 systemic banks is more than 86%. The Bank of Georgia's income from various services provided to clients/in relation to the credit portfolio is 0.7%. TBC's income from commissions/on loans is 0.4%.The coefficient of the No. 3 systemic bank, Liberty, is up to 0.3%. However, with net commission income of >19 million, Credo is in the TOP-3, with a credit portfolio of 3.36 billion GEL (coefficient 0.7%).

1782476948

The IMF highlights that stronger reserve positions have improved perceptions of macroeconomic resilience, reducing sovereign risk and supporting lower financing costs. The report also links reserve accumulation to structural benefits, including reduced private-sector dollarization and improved capacity for foreign exchange interventions aimed at smoothing excessive volatility in shallow FX markets.Beyond current adequacy levels, the IMF estimates that Georgia’s optimal reserve range could be higher—around 145–150% of the IMF’s ARA metric-given country-specific vulnerabilities. It argues that additional reserves act as a form of self-insurance, offering broader benefits than traditional benchmarks capture, particularly in emerging markets exposed to capital flow volatility and external shocks.The Fund also notes that continued opportunistic accumulation remains appropriate under current conditions of elevated global uncertainty. It considers the NBG’s price-based FX intervention framework broadly consistent with reserve-building objectives, allowing flexibility in exchange rate adjustment while gradually strengthening buffers through continued net purchases, which reached $632.9 million in May alone.

1782476680

According to the NBG, the Governor served as a speaker during a panel discussion at the forum. The session addressed key trends concerning stablecoins, programmable banking, digital assets, and the broader digital transformation of the financial sector.Natia Turnava presented participants with an overview of the reforms implemented by the National Bank of Georgia to foster an innovative financial ecosystem. She discussed the licensing regime for digital banks, the regulatory framework for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), and the new model for stablecoin regulation, noting that it represents the first framework of its kind in the region.“Over recent years, the NBG has created a supportive environment for the development of innovative financial services. We have introduced new licensing regimes and established regulatory frameworks designed to foster innovation. As a result, three digital banks are now operating in Georgia. We have also developed a regulatory framework for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), which has led to the registration of 40 new companies in the country, including leading international firms. Most recently, we introduced a new regulatory model for stablecoins, which is the first of its kind in the region in terms of substance and is aligned with the best international practices,” stated the NBG Governor.She also emphasised that, alongside fostering innovation, the NBG places paramount importance on solidifying trust in the national currency and the overall financial system.“As a central bank, we see our role as both a facilitator of financial innovation and a guardian of monetary trust. Our objective is to establish a regulatory framework that ensures the safe development of innovative products and services, while at the same time preserving confidence in the national currency and the financial system,” remarked Natia Turnava.The Point Zero Forum is an international platform uniting representatives from central banks, regulatory bodies, international organisations, and the private sector. The forum facilitates the exchange of expertise regarding financial sector development, digital transformation, and innovation, while addressing contemporary industry challenges.

1782476478