Regulation of the Viticulture and Wine Industry is Tightening

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.

1764761967

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.

1764761447

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.

1764680810

“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. 

1764680606

In the “Quality Education” category, TBC’s IT Academy received the award - an initiative that offers young people completely free access to modern, in-demand technology professions. The learning process at the academy is led by top local and international specialists, alongside professionals from the TBC team, which continuously enhances the quality of the programs and their real impact on the sector year after year.TBC’s IT Academy was founded in 2019 and today has more than 5,000 graduates. Of these, 30% work within the TBC Group, while the rest continue their careers at various successful technology companies. The IT Academy is one of the strongest platforms in Georgia for strengthening the ecosystem of professional development and technological education.TBC received its second award in the “Climate Action” category. The bank presented the activities and initiatives it implements to address environmental and climate-related issues. Climate action is an integral part of TBC’s ESG strategy. TBC sources electricity from 12 solar power plants, covering 80% of branch consumption in the regions and 27% in Tbilisi. Its vehicle fleet consists of 57% electric and hybrid cars. TBC’s sustainable portfolio totals GEL 2.07 billion, of which GEL 1.2 million is dedicated to green and climate-related projects.The third award was presented to TBC’s ESG Academy in the “Partnership for Sustainable Development” category. To establish the ESG Academy, TBC secured financial support from the European Union with the assistance of the organization Finance in Motion, under the technical assistance programs of two European funds — EFSE Development Facility and GGF Technical Assistance Facility. The ESG Academy is Georgia’s first long-term educational platform focused on sustainability, offering all training programs free of charge in Georgian. The first course, Green Mindset and Green Financing, was co-created by TBC and the international training company Develor. In total, the academy’s courses will be completed by 900 TBC employees and 300 clients from various business sectors.It is noteworthy that at the event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the UN Global Compact, TBC was also presented with an additional special award. The bank received the award as a company that has been actively engaged in the initiative since its inception, sharing for many years with the business sector and society the steps taken toward achieving sustainable development goals, and has repeatedly won the Corporate Sustainability Awards competition.(R)

1764664498

Lion Finance Group (BGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 89.05/share (+6.90% w/w and +14.17% m/m). More than 195k shares traded in the range of GBP 84.65 - 89.15/share. Average daily traded volume was 42k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of BGEO shares traded was at 0.45% of its capitalization.TBC Bank Group (TBCG LN) closed the week at GBP 40.75/share (+8.38% w/w and -6.21% m/m). More than 375k shares changed hands in the range of GBP 38.15 - 40.80/share. Average daily traded volume was 134k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of TBCG shares traded was at 0.67% of its capitalization.Georgia Capital (CGEO LN) shares closed at GBP 27.75/share (+6.32% w/w and +5.92% m/m). More than 179k shares traded in the range of GBP 26.25 - 27.90/share. Average daily traded volume was 32k in the last 4 weeks. The volume of CGEO shares traded was at 0.51% of its capitalization.

1764593151

For comparison, in the first draft of the budget, the SSS budget was only increasing by GEL 14.5 million, to GEL 265 million.A significant part of the agency's funding will be spent on salary increases.The remuneration of 3,850 people employed by the SSS will increase from GEL 138.7 million in 2025 to GEL 205.4 million.

1764593073

During 2024, 35.8 thousand tonnes of crude oil (8.0 percent less than in the previous year), 177.8 thousand tonnes of coal (20.1 percent more than in the previous year), and 15.9 million m of natural gas (3.0 percent less than in the previous year) were extracted. According to the survey results, firewood production in 2024 decreased by 7.2 percent compared to the previous year, amounting to 1 034.6 thousand m³.As of the document, In 2024, Final electricity consumption amounted to 13 006.1 million kilowatt-hours, which is 6.0 percent more than in the previous year. According to 2024 data, the demand for natural gas amounted to 3 404.3 million m³ (1.1 percent more than in the previous year), while the final consumption of natural gas for the same period totaled to 2 711.2 million m³, which is 7.7 percent more than in the previous year. Compared to 2023, consumption of natural gas increased in certain subsectors of industry, as well as in services and agriculture, while a decline was observed in road transport.According to survey results, 1 578.6 thousand tonnes of petroleum products were consumed in the country in 2024 (8.4 percent more than in the previous year). Natural gas accounted for 42.4 percent in the structure of energy resource consumption, while petroleum products also represented a relatively high share (29.6 percent), followed by electricity (20.5 percent). Meanwhile, coal constitutes for 3.5 percent of the energy consumed during the year, and the remaining 4 percent was from biofuel, geothermal, and solar energy.The sectorial analysis of energy consumption in 2024 shows that the largest consumers of energy resources are the transport and residential sectors, accounting for 33.0 and 31.9 percent of total consumption, respectively. As for the other sectors, 15.3 percent is attributed to industry, 4.3 percent —to construction, 0.6 percent — to agriculture, forestry and fishing, while the remaining 14.9 percent is distributed between commercial and public services and other consumers.

1764592978