Lithuania to grant asylum to Georgian president if necessary

Compared to July 2026, prices rose by 4.6% in the mining and quarrying group, contributing 0.34 percentage points to the change in the overall index. During the same period, prices decreased in the manufacturing group (-0.2%), contributing -0.15 percentage points to the overall index change. Additionally, a 6.8% price increase was recorded in the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning group, which contributed 0.67 percentage points to the total monthly index change.According to Geostat data, the formation of the index over the 12-month period was primarily influenced by price changes in the following products: Mining and quarrying: prices increased by 20.1%, contributing 1.34 percentage points to the change in the overall index. Within this group, a notable price increase occurred in metal ores (22.9%); Manufactured products: prices rose by 5.1%, contributing 4.02 percentage points to the overall index's growth. Price increases were observed in food products (5.7%) and basic metals (10.1%); Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning: prices increased by 2.6%, contributing 0.28 percentage points to the annual change in the overall index; Water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation services: prices increased by 6.3%, contributing 0.2 percentage points to the overall index.

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In January–August 2026, the top ten countries accounted for 65% of Georgia's total domestic exports. The largest export partners in this regard are: China – $529.1 million Russia – $468.3 million Turkey – $297.3 million Oil and oil products topped the list of domestic exports in January–August 2026 with a value of $649.1 million, representing 19.8% of total domestic exports. Precious metal ores and concentrates rank second with $403.1 million (12.3% of total domestic exports), while ferroalloys occupy third place with $219 million (6.7% of total domestic exports).

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In January–August 2026, the ten largest export partner countries accounted for 68.8% of Georgia's total exports. The top three export destinations were as follows: Kyrgyzstan – $577.6 million China – $543.7 million Russia – $500.7 million According to Geostat data, the ten largest import partners accounted for 70.2% of Georgia's total imports in January–August 2026. The top three are: Turkey – $1.9 billion Russia – $1.5 billion USA – $1.5 billion In January–August 2026, the ten largest trading partners accounted for 65.7% of Georgia's total foreign trade turnover. The country's largest trading partners are: Turkey – $2.24 billion China – $2 billion Russia – $2 billion According to Geostat data, passenger cars took first place among the top ten export commodity groups in January–August 2026, with a value of $1.34 billion, representing 24.9% of total exports. Oil and petroleum products rank second with $688.9 million (12.7% of total exports), while precious metal ores and concentrates take third place with $403.1 million (7.4%).The largest import commodity group in January–August 2026 consisted of passenger cars, with imports totaling $2.36 billion, or 18.9% of total imports. Oil and petroleum products rank second with $1.16 billion (9.3% of imports), while medicinal products take third place with $468.4 million (3.7% of imports).

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Tbilisi, September 21, 2026 - Visa (NYSE: V), a world leader in digital payments, announced an enhanced version of A2A Protect, delivering real-time risk insights that help banks stop account-to-account fraud before money leaves customer accounts. The expanded solution introduces a new unified fraud score—Visa’s first in-market integration of Featurespace technology—giving financial institutions faster, clearer signals to detect more fraud while reducing unnecessary alerts.As account-to-account (A2A) payments accelerate globally, A2A transactions are projected to surpass 5.8 trillion by 2028, a 160% increase from 2024[1]. A2A Protect leverages advanced AI and sophisticated transfer learning and gives banks immediate access to critical global risk insights on A2A transactions, without waiting months for models to develop intelligence from a bank’s own transaction data, and without having to wait for other banks to join a consortium, delivering results and value from day one. Banks that opt in can incorporate additional network-level signals to enhance detection of emerging threats operating across the ecosystem.“Fraudsters move fast across payment types, and financial institutions need risk insights just as quickly, without slowing down legitimate payments”, said Walter Lironi, Senior Vice President, Head of Value-Added Services, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA), Visa. “A2A Protect combines Visa’s network expertise with Featurespace’s technology to deliver a powerful new layer of protection that helps financial institutions detect more fraud, earlier.For financial institutions that opt into network-level intelligence sharing, A2A Protect highlights emerging scam hotspots and coordinated fraud activity – insights that may be difficult for individual financial institutions to detect alone, and that help the wider ecosystem respond faster to new threats. This gives financial institutions a more complete and early view of risk, helping to identify scams before authorization.A2A Protect integrates with financial institutions’ current systems through a single API, reducing implementation time and complexity. Each alert includes a plain language explanation of why a transaction was flagged, helping fraud teams act quickly and confidently without disrupting genuine customers.For more information on how Visa works to prevent fraud across the ecosystem, visit Visa.com/security.About Visa Inc.Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.ge.

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It is noteworthy that this was the first time an event of this format was held in the region in partnership with J.P. Morgan.Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze opened the meeting. In his address, the Head of Government emphasized the significance of a gathering of this scale and discussed the country's economic growth figures and the development dynamics of the financial sector. He also highlighted the financial sector's role in economic progress and the growing international recognition of Georgian financial institutions.He stated that the Government of Georgia continues to work on developing capital markets and creating an increasingly competitive environment for investment.A key topic of the meeting was the regional macroeconomic environment and the challenges facing monetary policy. Participants discussed global economic shifts and shared experiences regarding the maintenance of price and financial stability. Dedicated sessions focused on asset and international reserve management amidst geopolitical challenges, as well as prospects for developing local capital markets.The event aims to deepen cooperation among the region's central banks, facilitate the exchange of experience, and foster effective responses to shared challenges."It is highly significant that we are hosting the first event of this kind in the region. It is particularly gratifying to see so many colleagues in Tbilisi representing nearly 15 central banks, development organizations, and the financial sector. Such meetings are valuable not only because they allow us to exchange views on pressing issues that shape our economies' development, but also because they create opportunities for open dialogue, mutual learning, and the strengthening of ties between our institutions," noted Natia Turnava, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia. The event was attended by governors, deputy governors, and other high-ranking officials from the central banks of up to 15 countries, including Hungary, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, and Kazakhstan, as well as representatives from J.P. Morgan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

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According to Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia has maintained economic resilience over the past five years. He noted that the average annual real GDP growth rate for the 2021–2025 period stood at 9.3%.The Prime Minister stated that high-productivity sectors, including information and communication, financial services, and transportation, are among the key drivers of this economic growth.Kobakhidze also noted that annual inflation stood at 5.6% in August 2026. He explained that inflation was primarily influenced by external factors, including the rise in global oil prices resulting from the conflict in the Middle East. "Since October 2024, Georgia's foreign currency reserves have doubled, reaching a historic high," stated Irakli Kobakhidze.Natia Turnava, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, also addressed the event. She noted that a meeting of this format would foster dialogue and cooperation among central banks in the region.Representatives from J.P. Morgan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank are also participating in the round-table meeting.

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The percentage change in the GDP deflator stood at 3.0 per cent for Q2 2026.GeoStat reported that key positive drivers of economic expansion during the second quarter included information and communication (16.6 per cent), wholesale and retail trade alongside motor vehicle and motorcycle repair (8.0 per cent), transportation and storage (19.8 per cent), arts, entertainment and recreation (17.4 per cent), manufacturing (7.3 per cent), and human health and social work activities (15.0 per cent).Conversely, notable contractions were recorded in construction (-4.8 per cent) and agriculture, forestry, and fishing (-3.5 per cent).According to the agency’s report, wholesale and retail trade alongside motor vehicle and motorcycle repair accounted for the largest share of GDP by economic sector at 14.9 per cent, followed by real estate activities at 9.1 per cent. Subsequent shares were held by manufacturing (8.9 per cent), information and communication (7.6 per cent), public administration and defence including compulsory social security (6.5 per cent), construction (6.5 per cent), agriculture, forestry, and fishing (6.4 per cent), education (6.4 per cent), and transportation and storage (6.3 per cent).

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This award recognizes ADB’s active and successful collaboration with its partner bank in Georgia under the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program. The evaluation criteria were based on the number and volume of transactions executed by the bank within ADB's TSCFP framework.Receiving the "Leading Partner Bank in Georgia" award highlights Basisbank's strong market standing in facilitating international trade, its high credibility among international financial institutions, and its significant contribution to the country’s economic development.“Basisbank's recognition as Leading Partner Bank in Georgia reflects the strength and consistency of our collaboration under the Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program. Basisbank has been an active and reliable partner in extending trade finance to businesses across Georgia, helping close market gaps and connect local companies to international supply chains. We congratulate Basisbank on this achievement and look forward to continuing to grow our partnership in support of sustainable trade growth in the years ahead”, - Steven Beck, Head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program, Asian Development Bank“It is a great honor to receive the ‘Leading Partner Bank in Georgia’ award from the Asian Development Bank. This recognition reflects the tangible progress we have made in delivering Basisbank’s strategy to expand its trade finance capabilities and strengthen support for clients engaged in cross-border trade. Our long-standing partnership with ADB enables us to provide Georgian businesses with internationally aligned financial instruments, facilitate their access to global supply chains and new markets and support more efficient cross-border transactions. We are grateful to ADB for this productive partnership and remain committed to further expanding our capacity to serve our clients and contribute to Georgia’s economic growth”, - David Tsaava, General Director of Basisbank.The ADB’s Trade and Supply Chain Finance Program annually honors partner banks that deliver excellence in trade and supply chain finance and contribute to the development of sustainable economic progress across the region and globally.About Basisbank GroupIn April 2026, Basisbank acquired a 95.99% stake in Liberty Bank. Basisbank Group is the third-largest systemic financial institution in Georgia, holding an 11% market share. The Group serves over 2 million individuals and more than 65,000 corporate and SME clients. It boasts the largest network nationwide, operating around 500 service centers and nearly 700 ATMs across all regions and municipalities of Georgia.According to data from the first 7 months of 2026, Basisbank Group's total assets stand at GEL 12.1 billion, with a total loan portfolio of GEL 7.9 billion and a deposit portfolio of GEL 9.1 billion. The Group's net profit for the first 7 months of 2026 reached GEL 128 million.About TSCFPBacked by ADB's AAA credit rating, TSCFP delivers guarantees and loans through more than 200 partner banks to support trade and create import and export opportunities for businesses. The program is a key partner in helping diversify trade both internationally and intra-regionally within Asia and the Pacific. Since 2009, it has supported over $74 billion in trade, focusing on sectors that promote sustainable growth and regional integration.About ADBADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members-49 from the region.(R)

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