Georgian wine production stabilizes from record high - OIV report

It is planned to issue up to $10 million in 2-year bonds, with a fixed rate of 8%-8.5%.Nutrimax has been on the market since 2009. Its partner is the Dutch Trouw Nutrition. It owns a feed mill for farm animals and poultry (annual capacity 84,000 tons). Since 08/2021, it has been represented by the subsidiary "Nutrimax Petfood", which owns an extruded feed mill for companion animals (dogs and cats), as well as fish (capacity 24,000 tons).Nutrimax also operates in neighboring countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova).Product Range Nutrimax's business lines are divided into 2 main categories:

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For comparison, hydropower supplied 93% of total supply on average in April from 2021-24. This year, late warming delayed snowmelt, causing water levels to rise only in late April, while in previous years high hydropower generation was recorded from early April. As a result, April saw an unusually high demand for thermal power (16.5% of total supply) and imports (4.3% of total supply).In April, 3 power plants were commissioned: 2 hydropower plants were launched in test mode - Chiora HPP and Bakhvi 2B HPP, with a total installed capacity of up to 40 MW; and the 18.7 MW “Upper Wind Station” was put into operation.In April 2026, electricity imports amounted to 51 GWh (4.3% of total supply), although only half of this was commercial imports, 24.8 GWh from Turkey. Of the remaining volume, 9 GWh came from Russia for the Abkhazian region, while the 17 GWh import from Azerbaijan was fully balanced by exports of the same volume and value to Azerbaijan in the same day slot. The identical volumes of imports and exports indicate that these transactions were not commercial trade and were related to the technical needs of synchronous operation.Imports from Turkey were carried out on April 16-22, during the shutdown period of thermal power plants. Its value was $0.7 million, and the average price was 2.9 US cents per kWh. It is noteworthy that in 2026, except for February, imports from Turkey were carried out in all months, which is associated with historically low prices on the Turkish market. The price decrease, in turn, was associated with increased renewable generation due to favorable climatic conditions.As for the average price of balancing electricity, it decreased by 5% year-on-year in April and amounted to 5.8 US cents per kWh.In addition, the balancing capacity increased by 21.7% and was 0.4 TWh, which accounts for 32.6% of the total supply.

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Galt & Taggart analysts note that this once again demonstrates the vulnerability caused by dependence on hydropower and the need for accelerated development of new generation sources.In the first four months of 2026, electricity consumption increased by 6.6% year-on-year to 5.1 TWh. According to Galt & Taggart, the increase is associated with a particularly cold winter and the activation of the ferroalloys sectors.In the first four months of 2026, the share of thermal generation and imports in total supply amounted to 44.3%, which exceeds the similar indicator of the previous year (39.2%). The increase was mainly associated with weak hydrology in April and low water levels in the Enguri reservoir at the beginning of the year.In addition, Turkey was among the main sources of imports for 3 out of 4 months of 2026, which indicates increased competition in imports and possible structural changes.Overall, the high share of imports and thermal generation once again emphasizes the need for accelerated development of new generation.Domestic consumption was 1.1 TWh in April 2026, up 2.1% year-on-year. This growth was driven by retail customers (+5.1% y/y) and Abkhazia (+7.3% y/y). Direct customer consumption decreased by 8.5% year-on-year, mainly due to lower activity in crypto mining and data center companies.

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According to Government Decree No. 945, the funds will be used to co-finance projects funded by donor organizations. These include the 500-kilovolt power transmission lines (PTLs) “Tskaltubo-Akhaltsikhe-Tortumi” and “Jvari-Tskaltubo”, “Northern Ring” (Namakhvani-Tskaltubo-Lajanuri), “Kheledula-Lajanuri-Oni”, as well as projects to strengthen the power transmission infrastructure of Guria and Kakheti.According to GSE, the 500 kV Jvari-Tskaltubo overhead line project is being implemented by the Turkish company Bozlar Yapi. Work on the project began in 2021 and is scheduled for completion in 4Q27. As for the 220 kV Khledula-Lajanuri and Oni-Lajanuri power transmission lines, a €25.6 million contract has been signed with India’s KEC International Limited for their construction, and the works are scheduled to be completed in January 2029.The aforementioned infrastructure works are being implemented within the framework of the “Large-scale Investment Program for the Improvement of the Electricity Network” (ENIP), which is being implemented in partnership with the European Union, GSE, and the German Development Bank (KfW).The total budget of the program is €270 million, which includes funding from the German government (through KfW) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as a grant of $9.9 million from the European Union Neighborhood Investment Platform (EU NIP).The program, which began in 2021 and will be completed in 2028, includes the construction and expansion of 7 substations and more than 540 kilometers of power transmission lines in the regions of Imereti, Guria, Racha, Svaneti and Kakheti.

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According to the NBG statistics, as of Q1/2026, 8% of loans issued to cafes and restaurants are problematic in USD (L/Y - 6.3%) and 3.4% in GEL (L/Y - 4.6%).The share of non-performing loans in GEL and also in EUR has decreased. However, the decrease in the eurozone currency is at the expense of a decrease in Euro lending.Out of the billion GEL loans issued by banks in GEL, USD and EUR to cafes and restaurants, more than 54 million remain problematic.Of the loans denominated in USD, the equivalent of 16.6 million GEL is problematic.

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According to the report, as of 31 December 2025, there were a total of 8,592 prisoners in Georgia (including those in pre-trial detention). This means that the country has 231.9 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, which is significantly higher than the European average of 110 prisoners and is classified as “very high”.Declining trend, amnesty and pardonDespite the high overall figure, the report highlights the dynamics of the reduction in the number of prisoners: The total number of prisoners decreased by 15.5% in 2015-2025 The decrease in 2024-2025 amounted to 11% The Council of Europe attributes this decrease, among other things, to humanitarian acts - according to the document, in 2024 Georgia declared 953 amnesties and 688 individual pardons. Demographic profile of prisonersThe study describes in detail the structure of those in Georgian prisons: Age: The average age of prisoners is 39 years. In addition, the share of convicts aged 50 or older is assessed as “high”. Juveniles: As of January 31, 2025, there were 74 juveniles in the system (0.9% of the total). Women: Only 4.4% (377 prisoners) of the total prison population, which is considered a “low” figure. Foreigners: 11.9% (1,020 prisoners) of convicted persons are foreign citizens. This figure is “very low” compared to the European median (17%). The report also addresses prison capacity. The Georgian penitentiary system has a total of 12,332 places. The current density is 69.7 prisoners per 100 places, meaning that the system is not overcrowded.There are a total of 2,918 cells in the country, with an average of 2.9 prisoners per cell. In addition, the Council of Europe notes that spending the night in individual (separate) cells is not a standard in Georgia.

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Sandro Rtveladze joins the team with significant international experience, which will further strengthen TBC’s strategic direction - retail business management and contribute to creating a stronger customer experience.Sandro joined TBC from the position of an executive at OTP, one of Europe’s leading business groups. Today, he is the General Director of OTP Uzbekistan (Ipoteka Bank), which is among the top 5 banks in the local market. Sandro has a long-standing successful career, both in Georgia and abroad. In Georgia, he worked at Liberty Bank, where in recent years he held the position of Deputy General Director for Retail Business. Then he continued his career internationally and worked at the African bank Bayport, where, by implementing digital processes, he achieved a large-scale increase in retail lending. After Africa, he joined OTP Group, one of the largest banking groups in Central and Eastern Europe, with total assets of 113.6 billion euros at the end of 2025.“Sandro will significantly strengthen our team. His international experience is unique in creating added value for TBC customers”, - Giorgi Tkhelidze, General Director of TBC Bank.

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“We are delighted to welcome Sandro back to the Group. He brings a combination of deep retail banking expertise and strong execution capabilities across multiple markets. I am confident that his leadership will further strengthen our retail banking in Georgia,” Butskhrikidze said.“Sandro is a highly respected banking executive with a strong track record of delivering growth, innovation and operational excellence. His extensive experience across retail makes him well positioned to lead the next stage of development of our retail banking business,” said Tkhelidze on Rtveladze’s return.As a reminder, Sandro Rtveladze is appointed as Deputy CEO, Retail Banking of JSC TBC Bank, subject to the approval of the National Bank of Georgia, and will join the Bank with effect from 6 July 2026, or such later date as may be required for the completion of the relevant regulatory approvals. In this role, he will oversee the wide range of products, services and channels serving the Bank's retail customers.Sandro joins JSC TBC Bank from Ipoteka Bank, where, as chairman of the management board, he led the successful turnaround of OTP Group's Uzbek subsidiary. He was previously the CEO of TBC Uzbekistan, the Group's digital bank, and has held senior roles at OTP Bank Russia, Liberty Bank Georgia and Bayport Management Africa, bringing more than a decade of senior management experience in retail and digital banking.With strong Georgian roots and 11 years of extensive international leadership experience, this appointment represents a homecoming and will further strengthen the Bank's growth and transformation agenda.

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