Valerian Gabunia to replace Eter Iremadze at the Bank of Georgia

According to the regulator, this was one of the largest and most complex financial infrastructure projects since 2009, requiring significant technological updates from commercial banks, microbanks, and the State Treasury.The modernized RTGS system aims to provide faster, safer, and more reliable services for both individuals and businesses, while aligning more closely with international standards. The upgrade also lays the foundation for future innovations, such as an Instant Payments System (IPS) and additional digital services.Built on the global ISO 20022 standard, the new payment infrastructure enhances flexibility, efficiency, and modernization across Georgia’s financial ecosystem. The project was implemented with the support of the World Bank, helping ensure full alignment with international best practices.Recent legislative changes have also expanded access to the NBG’s payment systems, allowing non-bank payment service providers to join once requirements are met-a move expected to boost competition and improve customer services. The National Bank thanked all stakeholders and the system provider Montran for their cooperation in successfully delivering the upgrade.

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In January-April 2026, the share of the ten largest export partner countries in Georgia's total exports amounted to 72.1%. The top three exporters were as follows: Kyrgyzstan ($272.8 million) China ($255.1 million) Azerbaijan ($211.3 million) In January-April 2026, the share of the ten largest import partner countries in Georgia's total imports amounted to 70.5%. The top three include: Turkey ($903.1 million) Russia ($766.3 million) China ($678.2 million) According to Geostat, in January-April 2026, the share of the ten largest trading partner countries in Georgia's total foreign trade turnover amounted to 66.7%. The country's largest trading partners are: Turkey ($1.09 billion) Russia ($965.7 million) China ($933.3 million) In January-April 2026, among the top ten export commodity groups, passenger cars took first place with $537.4 million, which accounts for 22% of all exports. Second place is taken by oil and petroleum products with $324.1 million (13.3% of all exports), and third place is taken by precious metal ores and concentrates with $225.1 million (9.2%).The largest import commodity group in January-April 2026 was passenger cars, the imports of which amounted to $925.9 million and 16.3% of all imports. Second place is taken by petroleum and petroleum products with $471.3 million (8.3% of imports), and third place is taken by petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons with $254.1 million (4.5% of imports).

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In January-April 2026, the share of the ten largest countries in Georgia's total domestic exports amounted to 69%. In this regard, the largest export partners are:• China - $247.5 million• Russia - $182.7 million• Turkey - $177 millionIn January-April 2026, the top ten domestic exports were represented by oil and petroleum products with $313.2 million, the share of this commodity group is 20.2% of total domestic exports. Precious metal ores and concentrates are in second place with $225.1 million (14.5% of total domestic exports), and ferroalloys are in third place with $94.6 million (6.1% of total domestic exports).

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The open letter, addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, was published after the political dialogue between Tbilisi and Brussels was unilaterally suspended. According to the head of government, the formats for discussion and cooperation proposed by Georgia were repeatedly rejected by the European bureaucracy, which forced the country’s leadership to resort to a public appeal.In the letter, the Prime Minister asks EU leaders how they assess the events in Copenhagen, where, according to him, peaceful demonstrators were beaten with batons and dogs were used against them. According to the head of government, these actions contradict the standards of democracy and human rights that Europe was considered a benchmark for protecting.“The current situation poses a danger that Europe may become a benchmark not for protecting these values, but for ignoring and grossly violating them,” the letter states.According to the Prime Minister, the EU is currently in a “deep crisis of values,” which is manifested in democratic decline, economic stagnation, a migration crisis, as well as the weakening of national and gender identities. According to him, Georgia, as a candidate country for EU membership, expects a clear answer from Brussels about the union’s plan for managing internal crisis processes and the final results.Chronology of Georgia-EU relations and the current crisis:July 2021 – Annulment of the “Charles Michel Agreement”: The ruling party “Georgian Dream” declared the document signed with the mediation of the President of the European Council, which aimed at political reforms, null and void.June 2022 – Postponement of candidate status: The European Council did not grant Georgia the status of candidate for EU membership (unlike Ukraine and Moldova). The country was given a 12-point recommendation for receiving the status.March 2023 – The so-called The first protest of the “Russian law”: The ruling team first introduced the draft law on “agents of foreign influence.” This was followed by large-scale protests in Tbilisi of thousands and a stern warning from Brussels, which led to the government withdrawing the draft law.December 2023 – Granting candidate status: Given the geopolitical context, the European Council granted Georgia the status of candidate for EU membership on the condition that the country fulfills 9 new recommendations.April - May 2024 – Protests of thousands in Tbilisi: The re-initiation of the “transparency law” was followed by one of the most popular and continuous protests in the country’s history. The demonstrations lasted for more than a month, while Western partners warned Tbilisi that if the law was adopted, it would “block the European path.”May 2024 – Final adoption of the law: Despite protests and vetoes, the parliament finally approved the law “On Organizations Representing the Interests of a Foreign Power”. Brussels stated that this step contradicts the fundamental values ​​of the European Union.June-July 2024 – Suspension of membership and sanctions: The European Council officially announced the suspension of Georgia’s integration process. 30 million euros of the Defense Fund (EPF) and direct budgetary support (121 million euros) were frozen. In October, Ambassador Pavel Herchinsky confirmed the termination of the high-level political dialogue.October 26, 2024 – Parliamentary elections: Parliamentary elections were held, which the European Union described as a “referendum on the European course”. The CEC declared the Georgian Dream party the winner, prompting accusations of fraud from the opposition and civil society and a new wave of protests. The EU and Western partners have called for an independent investigation into election irregularities and have refrained from legitimizing the results.Foreign policy review and diplomatic deadlock: The post-election political crisis has reduced the chances of resuming dialogue between Tbilisi and Brussels. The Georgian government accuses the European bureaucracy of unilaterally blocking bilateral formats, which has led the Georgian side to resort to open letters to European leaders and public criticism.

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The decision was made during Irakli Kobakhidze’s official visit to Azerbaijan, where the two countries signed a protocol of the Bilateral Coordination Council, according to which the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway section will be put into full operation. The document was signed by Mariam Kvrivishvili, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, and Rashad Nabiev, Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan.New 20-year agreements in the energy sectorIn addition to transport, a package of strategically important agreements in the energy sector was signed between the countries, which includes: Electricity: A 20-year intergovernmental agreement on the main terms of electricity supply and transit traffic between Georgia and Azerbaijan Natural gas: An extension of the gas purchase and sale agreement signed in 2003 for another 20 years, which will ensure the security of the country's social gas supply The aforementioned documents were signed by Mariam Kvrivishvili, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikail Jabbarov, and Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov. The official signing ceremony was attended by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.“The meeting highlighted the positive dynamics of the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries. The Georgian side expressed its readiness to host the next session of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in the near future,” the government statement said.The leaders also discussed regional and global geopolitical challenges and once again emphasized the importance of peace and joint projects for the stable development of the South Caucasus.Passenger train traffic between Tbilisi and Baku was suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since then, Azerbaijan has repeatedly extended the quarantine regime imposed on its land borders, which has left land and rail traffic with neighboring countries, including Georgia, closed for years.The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was officially opened in October 2017. It is a strategic project that connects the railway networks of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and represents the shortest corridor between Asia and Europe (for transporting goods from China to Europe).Recently, large-scale rehabilitation and expansion works have been underway on the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line (Marabda-Kartsakhi). The aim of the project was to increase the capacity of the line to 5 million tons per year in order to make the corridor more competitive in the face of increased international freight flows. The completion of these works and the restoration of land transport in general were the subject of active negotiations between the parties.

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This decision was announced by Mamuka Mdinaradze, Vice Prime Minister and State Minister for Coordination of Law Enforcement Structures, at a briefing held at the Government Administration on Monday.According to him, the new agency will operate in a proactive mode, which means that the response will not depend only on a citizen's complaint - the department itself will monitor, prepare a legal assessment and, if necessary, send the materials to the court. The initiative concerns any type of public communication that contains hate speech, incitement to strife, and defamation.Mdinaradze noted that the decision is a continuation of the initiative put forward by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze several months ago, which aimed to open up the space for public discussion. According to the Vice Prime Minister, for years, external actors have been deliberately artificially closing the space for debate in order to encourage polarization and strife, which has established an aggressive standard of public rhetoric.The State Minister emphasized that the goal of the reform is not to restrict freedom of opinion and expression. According to him, similar practices are in place in a number of European countries, including Britain, Germany, and France, where institutions protect public space from destructive campaigns. According to Mdinaradze, institutional strengthening of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is a fundamental step for the effective implementation of the relevant legislative framework adopted by the Parliament.

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Lion Finance Group (BGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 108.40/share (-1.72% w/w and -2.87% m/m). More than 291k shares traded in the range of GBP 104.90 - 111.10/share. Average daily traded volume was 55k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of BGEO shares traded was at 0.67% of its capitalization.TBC Bank Group (TBCG LN) closed the week at GBP 45.78/share (- 1.80% w/w and -8.37% m/m). More than 341k shares changed hands in the range of GBP 43.70 - 47.68/share. Average daily traded volume was 49k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of TBCG shares traded was at 0.61% of its capitalization.Georgia Capital (CGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 40.35/share (+4.13% w/w and -0.49% m/m). More than 561k shares traded in the range of GBP 37.60 - 40.45/share. Average daily traded volume was 75k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of CGEO shares traded was at 1.63% of its capitalization. 

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Of which, the total number of dairy cows and buffaloes equaled 376.2 thousand heads, which is 5.1 percent less than the same indicator of the previous year.The number of pigs equaled to 152.3 thousand heads which is 0.2 percent more than at the same period of the previous year. The number of poultry decreased by 0.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and equaled 8.5 million heads.Meat production increased by 2.9 percent from the same period of the previous year and equaled 18 thousand tons.In the I quarter of 2026 egg production amounted to 179.1 million pieces which is 4.1 percent more than in the same period of the previous year. 

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