Tbilisi (GBC) – According to Archil Gachechiladze, CEO of Lion Finance Group PLC, the Group’s key markets demonstrated stronger-than-expected growth and resilience.
“Our core markets – Georgia and Armenia – showed stronger-than-expected growth and economic stability. In Q2 2025, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Office, Georgia’s economy grew by 7.1% year-on-year, driven by robust external inflows and solid domestic demand. Meanwhile, Armenia posted an average growth rate of 8.1%, mainly supported by strong internal demand,” said the CEO.
As a result, the Group has revised its 2025 real GDP growth forecasts:
- Georgia: revised to 7.5%, up from the previous forecast of 6.8%
- Armenia: revised to 5%, up from the previous 4.5%
Gachechiladze also noted that due to strong inflows into Georgia, the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) purchased more than $1 billion in the first seven months of 2025, boosting international reserves to over $5 billion. At the same time, the government continued to reduce foreign currency-denominated debt.
“Alongside solid economic fundamentals, the signing of a historic peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan represents a positive signal. This could potentially support new regional investment and development, thereby strengthening the overall economic outlook. We expect this to provide an additional stimulus for our operations,” Gachechiladze added.
According to NBG data, as of July 2025, Georgia’s international reserves had increased by $331.3 million, surpassing the $5 billion threshold.
For context, the National Bank of Georgia made the following net foreign currency purchases via the BMatch platform in 2025:
- March: $101.7 million
- April: $266.4 million
- May: $245.4 million
- June: $266 million
These net FX purchases contributed to an increase of approximately $400 million in international reserves. July’s figures are expected to be disclosed on August 25, following the release of the official report.