According to the World Bank, the project will finance upgrades to rail freight capacity, modernisation of key road segments in the country, and targeted reforms of rail and road institutions, alleviating infrastructure bottlenecks along the corridor.By enhancing transport connectivity, simplifying market access, and reducing logistics expenses for businesses, farmers, and communities, the TC-GATE Project is expected to directly benefit over 900,000 people and help generate jobs across logistics, transport, agribusiness, and related services, both directly and through wider multiplier effects along the corridor.“These investments will help Georgia realise its full potential as a critical regional transit hub bridging Europe and Asia, while responding to growing demand along the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, reflecting evolving global trade flows and need for diversified supply chains,” said Rolande Pryce, World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus.He also added that by supporting modernisation of the key rail and road links and reforms aimed to strengthen institutions that manage them, the World Bank Group, jointly with development partners, is helping Georgia and other countries along the corridor create tangible benefits for citizens through better connectivity, safer and more resilient transport, more jobs, and stronger economic opportunities.According to the World Bank, the total cost of the large-scale TC-GATE Project is over USD 750 million, of which this new World Bank Group operation finances USD 372 million, and the remainder is co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This demonstrates strong multilateral support for Georgia’s connectivity ambition and the development of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor broadly.“Through the new project, Georgia is strengthening its role as a reliable and competitive gateway between Europe and Asia, and together with our international partners we are committed to building a modern transport network that will serve the region for decades to come. These investments are not only important for our country’s economic development and for the creation of new opportunities for our citizens, but also for supporting growing international trade flows and more diversified, secure supply chains, as the upgrades to Georgia’s railway and road links will improve Middle Corridor efficiency and strengthen regional connectivity resilience,” said Lasha Khutsishvili, Minister of Finance of Georgia.According to the World Bank, in particular, the TC-GATE Project will help modernise Georgia’s rail freight services by financing new, energy-efficient electric locomotives to replace an ageing fleet, and strengthening JSC Georgian Railway’s operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and governance. The upgrades are expected to enhance locomotive availability to 95%, improve service reliability for shippers, and support a 20% increase in revenues. Additionally, they will lead to a reduction of over 2.3 million tons in net emissions.“To improve road connectivity, the project will finance the construction of two four-lane road segments in Georgia’s strategic corridor and agricultural production region – Kakheti, specifically the Badiauri–Chalaubani–Bakurtsikhe sections, as well as a road connecting Gurjaani to Telavi. This will reduce travel times between Telavi (Eastern Georgia) and Poti Sea Port (Western Georgia) by about 43 minutes and elevate road safety standards. Designed to meet climate-resilient standards, the road works will include measures to minimise disruptions caused by floods and landslides. This will enhance the reliability of year-round market access for people and goods. To strengthen Georgia’s road sector institutions, the project will support the digitisation of road asset management, the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems through the establishment of a National Highway Control Centre (NHCC), the implementation of climate-resilient systems, and initiatives to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability.The TC-GATE Project will also support economic empowerment for women entrepreneurs in the Kakheti region and fund analytics to explore greater private sector participation opportunities in road management,” reads the World Bank’s press release.

1780485358

With regard to the annual core inflation, the prices increased by 3.8%, while the annual core inflation without tobacco amounted to 3.5%.The annual inflation rate was mainly influenced by price changes for the following groups:Food and non-alcoholic beverages: the prices in the group increased by 5.2 percent, contributing 1.84 percentage points to the overall annual inflation rate. Within the group the prices increased for the following subgroups: fish (20.9 percent), meat (10.1 percent), bread and cereals (7.0 percent), fruit and grapes (6.5 percent), oils and fats (6.1 percent), sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery (6.0 percent), coffee, tea and cocoa (5.4 percent), milk, cheese and eggs (4.1 percent), mineral waters, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices (1.5 percent). At the same time, prices decreased for vegetables (-7.0 percent);Transport: the prices for the group increased by 15.1 percent, contributing 1.72 percentage points to the overall index. Within the group the prices increased for operation of personal transport equipment (22.7 percent) and transport services (9.3 percent);Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels: the prices for the group increased by 7.0 percent, contributing 0.66 percentage points to the overall index. The prices were higher for the subgroups of electricity, gas and other fuels (10.3 percent), maintenance and repair of the dwelling (5.9 percent) and actual rentals for housing (4.6 percent);Alcoholic beverages and tobacco: the prices increased by 7.2 percent, with the relevant contribution of 0.46 percentage points to the overall annual inflation rate. The prices increased for both tobacco (8.1 percent) and alcoholic beverages (6.4 percent);Health: the prices increased by 5.1 percent, contributing 0.43 percentage points to the overall index. The prices were higher for the following subgroups: medical products, appliances and equipment (7.7 percent), out-patient services (3.0 percent), hospital services (1.4 percent).

1780485284

According to statistics, in 2025, Moldova exported 9.55 million liters of wine to Georgia, thus lagging behind only Belarus and Romania in terms of volume. However, Georgia stands out in the top twenty of the ranking with the lowest price per liter – $0.57 per 1 liter, which is almost three times less than Moldova’s world average export price ($1.51).The total value of 9.55 million liters of wine exported to Georgia amounted to $5.49 million. In terms of value, Georgia is in 6th place in the ranking, although with a mark of $0.57 per liter it is the cheapest market in the ranking.For comparison, Romania is the most profitable partner for Moldova – it paid $43.4 million for 15.64 million liters of Moldovan wine and the average price per liter is $2.78. Belarus, which is in first place in terms of volume, accounts for almost a third of Moldova’s total export volume – 31.97 million liters, although the price per liter there is lower and amounts to $0.78 (total value $25.05 million).Other leading countries in terms of volume and value are Poland (3.99 million liters, $1.91/1 liter) and the Czech Republic (4.49 million liters, $1.67/1 liter). According to the study, the highest prices per liter for Moldovan wine are paid by Japan ($3.17), China ($2.98), Nigeria ($2.8) and Romania ($2.78).Overall, Moldova exported 98.38 million liters of wine worth $148.73 million to the world market in 2025, which is equivalent to an average of $1.51 per liter globally. The data shows that Georgia is an important volume market for Moldova, although it belongs to the low-price segment.

1780395321

He said the process is taking place within the framework of the contractual obligations between the parties.“We are successfully moving towards fulfilling the contractual obligations set for July 1 and we continue to work in this direction,” Christofoli said.A BP representative emphasized that this decision does not mean that the company is abandoning the project.“This is just a contractual obligation. SOCAR has sufficient experience and capabilities to successfully operate the pipeline. We are very optimistic about the transition process,” he said.The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was commissioned in 2006 and is the main route for transporting oil from Azerbaijani fields in the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The pipeline is approximately 1,768 kilometers long and passes through the territories of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.BP has been the operator of the project since its commissioning. BTC is considered one of the most important projects in international energy infrastructure, as it allows the export of Caspian oil to world markets, bypassing the territories of Russia and Iran. SOCAR is one of the largest shareholders in the project and has been trying to strengthen its role in the country's energy infrastructure in recent years.

1780395179

In 1Q26, the number of sold apartments in Batumi, according to the Public Registry, stood at 4,049 units, up 15.8% y/y, of which: Sales on the secondary market, which show real time dynamics rose by 10.1% y/y. Sales on the primary market, where data is impacted by delayed registrations, increased by 21.1% y/y. G&T real-time survey of developers, which captures current trends on the primary market showed a 70.6% y/y increase in the number of sold apartments. PriceIn Mar-26, average turnkey price per square meter on the primary market reached $1,893, up 8.7% y/y. Meanwhile, the average price on the secondary market reached $1,479, up 7.8% y/y. A wide gap between the two markets, large pipeline of ongoing projects and gradually declining rental yield may weigh on the primary market’s ability to sustain the current pace of price growth.RentAverage daily rent (ADR) in Batumi declined by 7.3% in 1Q26, though the market’s performance mostly depends on the summer season. Despite the decline in ADR, rental yield stood at 7.1%, remaining high among peer cities.

1780312966

In 2025, 35.5% of employees in enterprises used a laptop or smartphone owned by the enterprise, which provided Internet connection (only for enterprise purposes), while the percentage of enterprises that used a website or website was 15.3%.25.8% of enterprises used at least one social media tool (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, etc.), while 74.2% of enterprises did not use social media at all.

1780056599

GeoStat highlights that, in April 2026, key sectors such as manufacturing, information and communication, transport and storage, trade, and financial and insurance activities all contributed significantly to this growth.Conversely, a downward trend was noted in the construction and mining sectors.

1780056498

In most cases, innovations in goods and services were developed independently by enterprises (69.1% and 61.5%, respectively). 65.2% of the implemented innovations were new for enterprises, while 34.8% were new to the market.82.5% of new or improved business process innovations by enterprises were developed directly by the enterprise, 23.8% - together with other enterprises or institutions, 23.6% resulted from the adaptation-modification of goods/services developed by other enterprises or institutions, and 18.5% were developed by other enterprises or institutions.When assessing economic activity strategies, 45.9% of enterprises gave high importance to focusing on high quality, 35.9% of enterprises give high importance to focusing on improving existing goods/services, and 36.6% of enterprises give high importance to focusing on satisfying existing customer groups.In addition, in the assessment of the business environment by Geostat, the main challenge was the increase in prices of goods and services, which leads to the loss of customers.

1780056424

Despite weaker visitor dynamics from Azerbaijan and Armenia, the main downward pressure on tourism revenue came from Russia and Israel, where revenues declined by 12% and 13% YoY, respectively. The impact of the Middle East conflict became visible in Israel-related dynamics, with Israeli visitor trips down 17.5% YoY. These losses were offset by stronger revenue growth from the EU and UK (+36%), Türkiye (+12%), and Ukraine (+34%), supporting a modest increase in total tourism revenue to USD 830 million (+0.5% YoY). Although the EU and UK ranked only fourth by visitor numbers, they were the largest revenue contributors, generating USD 141 million and highlighting significantly higher average spending per visitor compared to neighboring source markets. Large branded hotels also showed improved performance in 1Q 2026. Occupancy averaged 51%, up 6 percentage points YoY, while the Average Daily Rate (ADR) reached USD 129, increasing by 10% YoY. ADR was higher in all three months of the quarter compared to the same period of 2025.

1779966683

According to the Investigative Service, none of the sanctioned companies had Georgia as their area of operation.“Investigation has established that Aifory LLC and ARVIX LLC were fictitiously registered in the names of other individuals in exchange for a certain fee, whilst in reality operating out of Moscow, Russia, and possessing neither assets nor offices in Georgia. In the criminal case on these matters, a court verdict of April 28, 2026, imposed fines of 30,000 lari and suspended sentences on three of the accused, whilst Davit Jinchaladze, the organiser of the criminal scheme, was sentenced to nine years and six months’ imprisonment.Regarding the unlawful activities of Rapira Group LLC, it has been determined that the company, registered via a power of attorney by a British national, operated solely through the website ‘rapira.net’. The site exclusively served Russian citizens, and its domain was registered with a Russian registrar. The company has no recorded banking transactions, assets, or offices on Georgian territory, and its registration was purely formal.The Investigative Service of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance, in coordination with international partners, continues its active work in combating financial and cybercrime, as well as in preventing and suppressing any attempts to circumvent international sanctions,” the statement reads.

1779881284