Tbilisi (GBC) – Foreign currency lending in Georgia is being further restricted. By order of the President of the National Bank of Georgia, from July 1, 2026, lending organizations will issue loans of up to 1,000,000 GEL only in the national currency.

The relevant decision was made by the Financial Stability Committee of the National Bank of Georgia in May, which was officially confirmed by the order of the President of the National Bank of Georgia on June 15. The aforementioned change invalidates the order of July 2025, which set the mandatory larization limit at 750,000 GEL. With the new regulation, this mark increases to 1 million GEL.

According to the new rule, citizens and companies whose income is in GEL will no longer be able to take out loans of up to 1 million GEL in foreign currency. In addition, the National Bank specifies that any credit that is in any way tied to or indexed to a foreign currency will not be considered issued in GEL. The regulation also applies to guarantees of an individual, and in certain cases, to obligations arising from bank guarantees and letters of credit.

According to the National Bank, the restriction will not apply to several exceptional cases, namely:

  • If, as a result of the issuance of a loan, the borrower’s total liabilities to a specific bank or microfinance organization exceed GEL 1 million;
  • If the borrower is not a citizen of Georgia or is a legal entity not registered in Georgia;
  • If the loan is fully secured by a deposit/cash in the same foreign currency;
  • If the borrower receives sufficient income in the relevant foreign currency to service the loan;
  • If an existing loan is refinanced or restructured in the same currency and the amount of the obligation does not increase.

The change will enter into force on July 1, 2026 and its purpose is to reduce currency risks in the financial sector and support the process of larization of the economy.