GCCA initiates investigation into 11 companies participating in construction supervision tenders

The banking sector is one of the largest sectors of Georgia’s economy, and the improved ratings indicate both increased confidence from international investors and strengthened resilience within the sector.The long-term credit rating outlook has been upgraded to Stable, while the long-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) remain at BB, and the Viability Ratings (VR) have been maintained at their existing levels.At the same time, Fitch Ratings improved the assessment of the operating environment for Georgian banks from ‘bb-/Stable’ to ‘bb/Stable’.According to the agency, this upgrade is driven by the banking sector’s sustainable development and strong credit performance since 2022. Despite a turbulent environment, the sector’s financial indicators and capital positions have remained stable across the board.

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On a GEL term deposit (with a maturity of 1 year), the standard interest rate increases from 9.3% to 10.3%.Dollar and Euro deposits are also included in the pre-New Year's offer. As well as deposits in British Pound Sterling, the interest rates on which are 1.15%, 0.4% and 1.05%, respectively (without a surcharge).The bank recently reduced the interest rate on traditional term deposits in GEL (about 2 months ago) and currently accrues 9.8% per annum for 12 months (with withdrawal at the end of the term) (1.4% in USD and GBP, 0.4% in EUR), which is +0.5% with mobile banking.As of November, TBC's retail deposit portfolio is GEL 12.3 billion and ranks as the second with a market share of 35.3%.

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The increase was observed in the production value of the business sector as well. In the III quarter of 2025, production value equaled 25.4 billion GEL, which is 9.7 percent more year-on-year.In the III quarter of 2025, large businesses generated 67.5 percent of total turnover, while medium-sized businesses generated 14.5%, and 18% was generated by small businesses. A distribution was different in the case of total production value: 46.1% was on large businesses, 23.2% - on medium, and 30.8% - on small businesses.In the III quarter of 2025, total purchases of goods and services carried out by enterprises equaled 33.5 billion GEL (year-on-year 8.8 percent more), while the purchase of goods and services for resale amounted to 19.2 billion GEL (year-on-year 8.9 percent more).In the III quarter of 2025, the average number of persons employed in business sector equaled 814.7 thousand, which is year-on-year 3.3% more. Out of the total number of persons employed, 43% were female and 57% were male.Large businesses employed 42.1 percent of total number of persons, while 19.9% were employed by medium, and 38.0 percent - by small businesses. The total number of employees amounted to 758.0 thousand (year-on-year 2.0 percent more) and the total personnel costs of enterprises equaled 5 624.9 million GEL (year-on-year 13.1 percent more).In the III quarter of 2025, average monthly remuneration of employed persons equaled 2 420.9 GEL (230.8 GEL increase year-on-year), while remuneration specifically for employed women was 1,846.9 GEL (144.5 GEL increase year-on-year). Average monthly remuneration of employed persons by size of enterprises is as follows:• Large business — 2 498.3 GEL• Medium-sized business — 2 801.6 GEL• Small business — 2 072.5 GELIn the III quarter of 2025, the arts, entertainment and recreation had the highest share (34.5 percent) in the total turnover in business sector, followed by trade sector (including repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) with 33.5% share, manufacturing – with 7.8%, construction – with 6.3%, transportation and storage – with 4.6%, information and communication – with 3.4 percent, and other sectors – with 10% share. In the III quarter of 2025, trade (18.6%), manufacturing (18.3%), construction (18.2%), transportation and storage (9.4%) and information and communication (8.4%) held the top five places in business sector by production value. The rest of the sectors had 27.1% share combined. In the III quarter of 2025, trade (wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles), manufacturing, and human health and social work activities led business sector by number of employees with 29.1%, 11.3%, and 9.2% shares, respectively. Enterprises engaged in construction activities (8.5%), transportation and storage (8.2%), information and communication (6.4%), and accommodation and food service activities (5.7%) also had a significant share though.

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According to the NBG, annual lending growth in Georgia stood at 12.7% in October 2025, lower than the high levels of credit expansion seen in previous periods. The Bank noted that the negative gap between economic growth and the ratio of loans to GDP is decreasing, reducing the need to adjust the buffer at this stage.“Banks continue to maintain healthy capital and liquidity ratios. Business loans contributed significantly to credit growth, and the ratio of loans to GDP remains below the long-term trend. Strong economic growth in the first three quarters, coupled with the normalization of credit activity, has gradually closed the negative gap in the loan-to-GDP ratio,” the NBG said.The Committee also confirmed that commercial banks will continue to accumulate the neutral component of the countercyclical capital buffer gradually. At present, the cyclical component requires no adjustment, reflecting the stability and resilience of the Georgian banking sector.

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The new regulation, among other things, provides for the approval of the cultivation of entrepreneurial vineyards starting next year, which will be issued by the LEPL National Wine Agency.“It is commendable that vineyards have been actively built in recent years, although this should not be spontaneous. We should pay more attention to: quality, exposure, soil, varieties. If an entrepreneur takes all this into account, he will not encounter any obstacles in obtaining permission for cultivation. In general, it should be noted that wine consumption has decreased on a global scale; the experience of recent years of the vintage shows that the state has to intervene in the purchase of grapes and in order not to hinder the development of the sector, we must introduce regulations for the cultivation of vineyards,” said Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency.According to the Chairman of the Agency, a permit for the cultivation of vineyards will have to be obtained by those who plan commercial activities and does not apply to those who intend to cultivate vineyards for personal use.According to Mekhuzla, in recent years, interest in the field of viticulture and winemaking has increased, which is reflected in the intensive cultivation of new vineyards. It is worth noting that in a number of cases, vineyards are planted with varieties not permitted for the relevant viticulture zones and subzones or with seedlings grown in uncertified nurseries, which subsequently leads to problems with both grape production/sale and wine production.The draft law will be sent to the Parliament of Georgia for adoption. The draft law was prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

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GeoStat reports the core inflation indicator was 2.6% in November 2025 compared to the same period last year. The annual core inflation rate was 2.3 per cent, excluding tobacco.“The price changes across various groups have primarily influenced the monthly inflation rate. In food and non-alcoholic beverages, prices increased by 0.9 per cent, contributing 0.34 percentage points to the monthly inflation. Price hikes were observed in the following subgroups: oil and fats (4.2 per cent), vegetables and herbs (3.8 per cent), bread and bakery products (1.9 per cent), fish (1.4 per cent), milk, cheese and eggs (1.4 per cent), meat and meat products (1.2 per cent), coffee, tea and cocoa (0.5 per cent), mineral and spring water, non-alcoholic beverages, and natural juices (0.2 per cent). Conversely, prices fell in the following subgroups: fruits and grapes (−6.8 per cent) and sugar, jam, and other sweets (−1.5 per cent).In the miscellaneous goods and services category, prices rose by 1.8%, contributing 0.09 percentage points to the monthly index. Notable increases were seen in personal belongings not included in other categories (3.2%) and personal hygiene products (2.7%).Prices in the furniture, household goods, and home care group increased by 0.9 per cent, contributing 0.05 percentage points. Significant price rises occurred in daily household goods and services (2.4 per cent), household textiles (2.1 per cent), furniture, carpets, and other floor coverings (1.5 per cent), as well as glassware, tableware, and household utensils (0.7 per cent).Price decreases were noted in heating and cooking appliances, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and other household items, including installation and repairs (−3.1%), as well as tools, equipment, and appliances for home and garden (−2.3%).In the transport sector, prices declined by 0.4 per cent, which contributed −0.05 percentage points to the monthly inflation. Price drops were observed in transport services (−1.4 per cent) and the operation of personal vehicles (−0.3 per cent),” the report published by GeoStat states.

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By the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, 644.2 thousand students were studying in general education institutions in Georgia, which is 0.6% more than in the previous academic year. 88.8% of the total number of students study in public schools, while 11.2% study in private schools. Of the total number of students, 48.4% are girls, and 51.6% are boys.Among the regions, the largest number of students (36%) study in Tbilisi.In 2025, 41.4 thousand students received secondary education, which is 0.8% less than the corresponding figure of the previous year. 55 thousand students received primary education, which is 1.8% less than the corresponding figure of the previous year.According to Geostat, by the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic year, 66.3 thousand teachers were employed in general education institutions, which is 0.5% more than the similar figure of the previous year. The vast majority of teachers are women, namely, 87.6% of teachers are women, and 12.4% are men.

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“It is important to make the 11th grade, the final grade, specialized. This reflects the goal, which is related, first of all, to returning students to school, increasing the prestige and authority of the school and removing the pressure on families, which is related to financial issues in terms of preparing students for the national exams,” Givi Mikanadze said.In addition, those wishing to study in the 12th grade of public schools will have the opportunity to complete the relevant registration in March of each year. "Starting from the next academic year, school uniforms will be mandatory in all public schools from the first to the sixth grade, in a test mode," Mikanadze added.Socially vulnerable families will receive state support regarding uniforms."All families that are assessed by the Ministry of Health with 60,000 points or less will receive appropriate support from the state regarding uniforms," ​​Mikanadze said.Givi Mikanadze, during the presentation of the general education reform, also stated that "the voucher component of public school financing will be maintained, although we will consider different models that will help eliminate the necessary needs for schools."According to him, the general education reform will fundamentally change the teaching-learning process.In addition, completely new textbooks will be written within two to three years.According to Mikanadze, over the past six months, the ministry has selected groups of experts from various disciplines through a selection procedure.Research organization Gnomon Wise On October 16, 2025 reviewed the education reform. The organization notes, that Irakli Kobakhidze presented a concept for higher education reform that identifies the main challenges in the higher education sector and proposes ways to address them.The challenges include: “1. Excessive geographic concentration of higher education; 2. Irrational use of resources and uneven quality of teaching in the universities; 3. Lack of a coherent Human Resources strategy; 4. Weak link between teaching and research, including a lack of education programs and textbooks of modern standards; 5. Significant mismatch between higher education priorities and labor market needs and 6. Inefficient funding system.”“The higher education reform concept,34 developed by the governmental commission without the involvement of representatives of state universities or education experts, raises a number of questions regarding its true purpose. The concept does not justify the need to implement changes in this manner and, in many cases, instead of improving the quality of higher education institutions, creates additional  problems. If the higher education reform concept is first turned into a draft law and then enacted, Georgia's higher education system will regress decades to a centralized Soviet-era model. The state would control both the form and substance of education, students would be reduced to passive recipients, and academic freedom would be systematically dismantled. If fully implemented, the concept will isolate the Georgian education system from the European academic space and limit students’ ability to obtain internationally recognized, high-quality education”, - Gnomon Wise writes.The reform concept contradicts both Article 27 of the Constitution of Georgia, which guarantees the autonomy of universities, as well as the obligations assumed under the Association Agreement and the principles of the Bologna Process which ensure that universities have the right to determine their own academic profile, educational programs, personnel policy, and research directions. 

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