Tbilisi (GBC) - A two-day international conference “Perspectives for the Development of the Georgian Financial Market - Indices and Exchange-Traded Investment Funds” was held, organized by the National Bank of Georgia.
The event was dedicated to the practical application of Georgian government bond indices and the prospects for the development of index-based investment products.
The conference builds on a significant project achieved in February 2026, when, for the first time in history, seven Georgian government bond indices were published with the support of the National Bank of Georgia. The indices were developed by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and made available through both Bloomberg (Bloomberg IND) and ICE’s indices portal (indices.ice.com).
The conference was opened by Ekaterine Mikabadze, First Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Georgia. In her welcoming speech, she spoke about the development of capital markets, the practical importance of market indices and their transformation into investment products.
According to her, the publication of indices is an important step on the path of development of the Georgian financial market.
“Georgia has made significant progress in recent years and today we have a well-developed government securities market, a strong market infrastructure, a DVP (Delivery versus Payment) settlement system and a modern framework for investment funds and asset managers. The funded pension system is becoming an increasingly important long-term investor in the local economy.
“ICE Georgian Government Bond Indices” adds an important fundamental element to this structure. They represent a globally recognized benchmark - a target indicator and fully cover the sovereign curve of the lari with maturities up to 10 years. Using ICE indices, it is possible to manage portfolios with respect to yield and risk in treasury bonds, develop investment mandates and ultimately develop indexed investment products related to the Georgian government bond market,” said Ekaterine Mikabadze.
Within the framework of the event, representatives of the Financial Markets Department and the Securities Market Supervision Department of the National Bank of Georgia presented reports on the strategic vision of Georgia’s development and the regulatory and tax environment for investment funds.
The participants of the panel discussions discussed practical steps in creating index-based investment funds in Georgia, international experience in developing ETFs, as well as issues of strengthening the investment market ecosystem and developing relevant infrastructure.
The conference was attended by representatives of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), as well as Representatives of local and international financial institutions, investment fund management companies, the banking sector and asset management.
The conference continued on the second day in the format of bilateral meetings between local financial market participants and ICE representatives.
