TBC Georgia, the country’s leading financial services group, was crowned the Most Innovative Bank in Central and Eastern Europe, thanks to the range of first-of-its-kind products that it brought to market throughout 2025.  These innovations, which include instant retail and business banking onboarding, as well as the development of its internal AI assistant Genie, are powered by the Bank’s innovation engine. This engine brings together cross-functional teams to innovate at pace and launch new features quickly.TBC Georgia was also recognised as one of the winners in the Top Financial Innovation category for Central and Eastern Europe. This Award was given for the Bank’s development of its AI Mini & Micro Loan Issuance Assistant, which uses AI to automate the loan issuance process for small-scale lending, replacing a previously manual process and significantly decreasing time to loan disbursement.TBC Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s leading digital financial ecosystem, was also recognised as one of the winners in the Top Financial Innovation category for Asia-Pacific for developing Lola, Central Asia’s first AI banking assistant. Inspired by Generative AI chatbots and underpinned by TBC Uzbekistan’s proprietary Uzbek-language LLMs and Speech Tech, Lola functions as a text and later voice-based “private banker in your pocket”, transforming the customer experience through a new approach that brings conversational and relationship banking to a digital interface by giving customers transactional as well as informational support.“Across both our markets, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring new technological solutions that improve financial services and make our customers’ lives easier. This commitment to technological excellence has been part of our DNA for over 30 years. We continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in this market, as well as in Uzbekistan, where we launched our fast-growing digital banking ecosystem in 2020. This recognition by Global Finance stands as testament to our ongoing tech leadership across Eurasia, as we continue to shape the future of finance in the region”, - Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, CEO of TBC Group, commented.The Innovators Awards by Global Finance have been one of the industry’s key benchmarks for over a decade, highlighting the banks and financial institutions leading the way in technological development and bringing new solutions that shape the future of the global banking sector.

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According to the bank, transactions in any currency on international platforms have become profitable for Silk users.Silk Bank card (debit) purchases are returned 1% (Apple Pay) and 0.5% (Google Pay).According to TBC and the Bank of Georgia, TBC, Bank of Georgia and Liberty have imposed a commission on payments in GEL (GEL) with a debit card in international channels (from April 15).Liberty's new owner, Basisbank, is not increasing the commission for Basis's clients, but it is not canceling Liberty's customers either.As you know, the Chinese Hualing Group acquired Liberty's assets with a secured loan (according to widespread information, TBC credited it). However, the merger process has not yet begun.When paying with a debit card through international e-commerce or/at a POS terminal, a 1.5% commission applies only to GEL (max: GEL 10). When choosing a foreign currency for payment (USD, EUR, GBP ...), the commission is 0%. The change applies to the most popular sites (Pinduoduo; Temu; Shein ...), including WizzAirIn the case of a refund, the commission is not refundable.

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In 1Q26, the share of the EU countries in the revenue from international travel was determined by 17% and amounted to $140.7 million - an increase of 36.4% compared to the same period of the previous year.According to the NBG’s statistics, revenues from Turkey and Ukraine increased by 12.2% and 34.2% annually and, respectively, amounted to $120.1 and $45.3 million. Amid the war in the Middle East, travel revenues from Israel have decreased by 13.4% year-on-year to $98.9 million.Revenues from Russia are characterized by a downward trend - in 1Q26, travel revenues from Russia to Georgia decreased by 12.3%.Georgia's travel revenues by country in 1Q26 are distributed as follows:

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To accelerate the growth of unsecured consumer lending, we renewed the end-to-end digital journey across all unsecured products, reducing time-to-cash from 5 minutes to less than 2 minutes and cutting drop-off rates from 7% to 4%.In addition, for FCLs, we introduced dynamic credit limits, which automatically update customers’ available limits based on their latest profiles, which resulted in generating on average GEL 13 million in incremental disbursements per month. We also implemented an NPV-based loan pricing model, ensuring more disciplined pricing decisions and optimised risk-adjusted returns. As a result, the share of FCLs, our major product in this category, issued digitally increased by 2pp and reached 70% by the end of the year.TBC also fully digitalised its credit card offering in 4Q 2025, which had previously been available exclusively through physical channels. Consequently, the digitalisation rate of credit cards reached 42% by the end of the year. At the same time, the digitalisation rate for buy now, pay later (BNPL) and Installments products stood at 95%. The demand for BNPL/Installments increased by 96% year-on-year, accounting for almost 50% of all digital loan applications on the market, becoming a powerful customer acquisition tool.Overall, our unsecured-lending customer base grew by 9% in 2025, amounting to 465,000 customers with 83% of all loans issued digitally.As part of its multi-licence strategy, TBC Uzbekistan also advanced its microfinance capabilities. TBC Credit received its microfinance licence earlier in 2025, completed the development of its lending platform, and began issuing loans in August 2025. TBC Uzbekistan also completed the setup of TBC BNPL, a dedicated company that will accelerate the expansion of the buy-now-pay-later business from 2026 onwards.

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The share of pawnshops in the total number of loans issued by the sector is 92%.Accordingly, only 8% is distributed between consumer and micro lending.At the moment, 29 MFOs remain on the market, with a loan portfolio of more than 2 billion GEL, of which more than 45% comes from the country's main pawnshop "Rico".The part of MFOs that finance real business, in the TOP - 6, does not consider it appropriate to group them with pawnshops, but this is an established practice and the media also follows it.However, to clarify that MFO Swiss Capital (SCAPP) and MFO Lazika Capital have a different ambition and, accordingly, a different business model from "pawnshop MFOs". They follow the chosen path systematically, despite internal and external challenges.Internal, mainly concerns regulations, and adaptation slows down the development process. However, according to market participants, this does not mean that it is better to operate without regulation for acceleration.External, in accordance with geopolitical risks, is related to a change in the mood of covenants, whether inspired from within the country or outside it. When an investor, fund, international financial organization, various donors, face a dilemma whether to finance a credit organization or pause it for a certain period.Increased risk means pause, and pause means a delay in access to credit resources. Accordingly, the passivity of the subject in the lending market and less money in the agricultural, tourist, processing, service and other entrepreneurial or service-providing sectors.

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In 2025, TBC Bank advanced to the next stage of its data and AI transformation, transitioning from experimentation to large-scale impact through several key initiatives. GenAI-powered chatbots, launched in the third quarter of 2025, now handle over 100,000 interactions per month with a 50% offloading rate. Internally, more than 70 workflows, from document processing to reporting, are already automated or AI-assisted.In addition, TBC Bank Group deployed eight RAG-based (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) knowledge bases, which offer instant access to verified institutional knowledge across key functions, including risk, legal, operations, and HR.“Together, these advancements demonstrate how data and AI capabilities are now deeply embedded in TBC Bank’s operating model, delivering tangible impact across customer experience, efficiency, and decision making”, - TBC PLC declares.In addition, TBC further strengthened its cybersecurity capabilities to support resilient digital growth and expansion. Development teams were empowered through secure coding trainings, promoting a culture of secure-by-design engineering. The group-level Security Operations Centre capabilities were enhanced with advanced threat intelligence, enabling faster detection and response to emerging threats.

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Lion Finance Group (BGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 116.00/share (+7.81% w/w and +17.41% m/m). More than 415k shares traded in the range of GBP 105.90 - 116.20/share. Average daily traded volume was 81k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of BGEO shares traded was at 0.96% of its capitalization.TBC Bank Group (TBCG LN) closed the week at GBP 51.80/share (+9.84% w/w and +22.60% m/m). More than 311k shares changed hands in the range of GBP 46.18 - 52.00/share. Average daily traded volume was 73k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of TBCG shares traded was at 0.56% of its capitalization.Georgia Capital (CGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 40.80/share (+0.62% w/w and +13.65% m/m). More than 339k shares traded in the range of GBP 39.50 - 41.90/share. Average daily traded volume was 58k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of CGEO shares traded was at 0.99% of its capitalization. 

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The Ministry of Finance reported that Khutsishvili participated in a round table organised by the IMF, which centred on the regional economic review.“We have agreed with the International Monetary Fund to maintain a very active partnership, encompassing all significant reforms currently underway in Georgia’s fiscal and monetary sectors. We also reaffirmed that the reform of state-owned enterprises will proceed vigorously, with the IMF involved in both planning and implementation,” Khutsishvili stated.Throughout his visit, the Minister held fruitful discussions with the Managing Director of World Bank Operations, the Vice President for Europe and Central Asia at the World Bank, and the Bank’s Executive Director.“Important talks took place at the World Bank, where we explored potential projects to be launched in collaboration with the Bank shortly. These initiatives are vital for strengthening Georgia’s infrastructure, encompassing improved connectivity, the development of the Middle Corridor, and the funding of energy projects. Other institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank, have also expressed keen interest and readiness to support these efforts, given their active presence in our region and specifically in Georgia,” Khutsishvili explained.The Minister also highlighted positive developments from discussions with rating agencies, noting an optimistic outlook for improving Georgia’s credit ratings.In parallel with the IMF and World Bank meetings, the Ministry facilitated meetings with international investors and investment firms.“Despite the current global challenges, international investors continue to show strong interest in Georgian securities. I am confident this enthusiasm will grow further. We are also working to attract investors to our local markets, particularly through discussions on GEL-denominated securities. Recently, international interest in this area has been high, and we believe our ongoing efforts will encourage even greater participation in the Georgian financial market,” Khutsishvili added.

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He said that the transaction is a significant event for the Georgian banking sector, both in terms of its scale and content."It is worth noting the importance of this transaction in the context of international investments, in particular in the direction of Chinese capital. It is noteworthy that the financial sector has been leading in terms of attracting foreign direct investments in Georgia for years. This transaction is another proof that the Georgian banking sector is in an active development phase and is attractive to foreign investors," said Beka Dochviri.As he noted, the implementation of such a large transaction for the financial sector is a very responsible event and required close cooperation with the National Bank."The implementation of such a large transaction for the financial sector is a very responsible event and requires close cooperation with the regulator both in terms of protecting the interests of consumers and maintaining financial stability in the sector. Accordingly, in order to effectively conduct this process, the National Bank has been actively cooperating with both banks over the past year," said Beka Dochviri.Another important aspect of the transaction is the strengthening of market competition."The merger of Basisbank and Liberty Bank creates a real opportunity for the emergence of a third relatively large systemic bank in the banking system, which, as a result of resource optimization and economies of scale, will contribute to the improvement of the competitive environment, which in turn will have a positive impact on the well-being of consumers. Ultimately, the acquisition of Liberty Bank by Basisbank is not just a merger of companies - it is a step towards a more competitive, diverse, development-oriented banking system," said Beka Dochviri.

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The discussions centred on Georgia’s current economic landscape and the robust indicators within its financial sector. The participants underscored the National Bank of Georgia’s consistent monetary policy and the resilience of the financial system.The conversation also addressed broader global challenges and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with reflections on how its duration may influence current macroeconomic forecasts.The IMF Managing Director praised Georgia’s achievement in maintaining healthy macroeconomic indicators and strong financial buffers.Attending the meeting were NBG Vice Presidents Ekaterine Mikabadze, Ekaterine Galdava, and Nino Jeladze, as well as Deputy Ministers of Finance Ekaterine Guntsadze and Giorgi Kakauridze.

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