Economic activity slumps: imports down by 34.5%, foreign turnover falls sharply

Nine qvevri wine cellars participated in the international exhibition of natural wines “RAW Wine Paris”, while the large-scale international exhibition of wine and alcoholic beverages “Wine Paris” featured products from about 30 Georgian wine-producing companies.Wine Paris is one of the most important exhibitions in the wine industry worldwide, where wine professionals, importers, and media representatives traditionally gather, along with thousands of visitors.Another outstanding international exhibition of wine and alcoholic beverages is “RAW Wine”, where producers of high-quality natural, organic and biodynamic wines gather. The exhibition is organized by the famous wine master from France, Isabelle Legeron.During the exhibitions, the Chairman of the National Wine Agency, Levan Mekhuzla, and the Deputy Chairman of the Agency, Tamta Kvelaidze, held meetings with representatives of marketing companies from various countries.The Wine Paris exhibition was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Republic of France, Irakli Kurashvili.John Barker, President of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), visited the Georgian stand at the Wine Paris exhibition and tasted Georgian wines."This year's wine exhibitions traditionally started with Paris. Both exhibitions are very important for Georgian winemakers. The Georgian stand was constantly crowded with visitors and professionals. The meetings held here and the contacts established will help Georgian winemakers attract new trade partners and increase wine exports. The National Wine Agency will continue to support Georgian producers this year, both in participating in traditional exhibitions and in presenting their products at important events of various formats," said Levan Mekhuzla, Chairman of the National Wine Agency.

1770987438

According to Irakli Kobakhidze, 70% of foreigners living in Georgia are citizens of post-Soviet countries, the European Union, the United States and Israel, while the total share of countries in the region, such as Turkey and Iran, is only 0.7% of the Georgian population. The Prime Minister paid special attention to the legislative changes planned from March 1, according to which the labor activity of foreigners in Georgia will be significantly restricted. According to him, this step serves to protect the interests of the country's economy and local citizens, for which the government takes full responsibility.In addition, the Prime Minister noted that the government is strengthening the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He explained that over the past year, more illegal migrants have been expelled from the country than in the previous 10 years combined. According to Kobakhidze, there are currently more than 20 thousand illegal migrants in the country and the goal is to completely rid Georgia of them in a few years. The Prime Minister also reminded the public of the 2017 constitutional amendment that prohibited the alienation of agricultural land to foreigners, which he said is another proof of the protection of national interests.

1770980506

Against this backdrop, the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, framed the situation as politically motivated and accused protesting ISU representatives of aligning with former president Mikheil Saakashvili. According to Papuashvili, the interests of Saakashvili’s political team stand behind the ongoing resistance to the reforms.Papuashvili also described the current higher education system as “problematic” and defended the government’s new “one city, one faculty” model. He argued that the reform is “so logical” that only those with “subjective interests” would oppose it.The new quota decision significantly reshapes Ilia State University, which currently enrolls more than 17,000 students and offers 36 academic programs. As of next year, only 16 programs will remain, most of them with symbolic quotas of 10–30 students, raising doubts about their operational viability.The government has entirely removed the university’s right to accept students into many of its most popular and strategically important fields, including: Social Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, International Relations Business & Law: All business administration programs (management, tourism, finance) and the Faculty of Law Humanities & Arts: Philosophy, Archaeology, Architecture, Film Studies, Music Technology: English-language Computer Science program These cancellations affect some of ISU’s strongest and highest-demand programs, prompting concern from academics and policy observers.Education experts warn that the sweeping cuts appear to undermine the university’s academic autonomy and could be part of a political effort to weaken one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions. With most major programs abolished and only narrow specialties remaining, critics say the reforms could destabilize the entire institution.Some analysts argue that the scale and speed of the quota reductions effectively amount to a restructuring that threatens Ilia State University’s long-term sustainability.

1770980357

The National Agency for Promising Projects (NAPP) officially registered the issue on February 9, 2026.By the decision of the bank's shareholders on January 16, 2026 (quorum 100%), the new issue will be placed in the subsidiary TBC Digital, at a market nominal value of 1,000 soums per share.Payment will be made in cash in the national currency.The issue includes 240 million shares, which corresponds to a total issue amount of 240,000,000,000 soums.For reference, TBC Digital manages the digital business of TBC Bank Group PLC in Uzbekistan, which includes TBC Uzbekistan, the leading digital bank in Uzbekistan, Payme, a popular digital payments application, BILLZ, TBC Insurance, TBC Nasiya - an installment business, and other fast-growing digital services.At the current exchange rate of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, $1 is equal to ≈ 12,287 UZS.Last year, TBC Uzbekistan issued soum-denominated securities twice. In February last year, TBC issued securities in the amount of 128 billion soums, with a 2-year maturity and a 24% interest rate. At the end of December, it placed bonds worth 49.6 billion soums ($4.1 million).

1770893858

According to the investment company’s research, Tbilisi and Batumi shared the largest share of the market in 2025. In particular, the capital’s share was 68%, while the seaside city of Batumi had 21%.As for the purpose, the share of real estate sold for residential purposes across Georgia was the highest in Tbilisi, at 80%. In contrast, Batumi led the way in the category of real estate sold for investment purposes (85%).“Following a sharp increase in demand in 2022, the Georgian residential real estate market entered a stable phase in 2024-2025,” reads the TBC Capital review.More specifically, according to these data, 78.5 thousand residential units were sold in the country in 2025, of which 49.2 thousand were sold on the secondary market and 29.3 thousand on the primary market. It is noteworthy that transactions increased by 6% compared to 2024.PricesIn 2025, the average price of 1 sq m in Tbilisi increased by 8% annually and amounted to $ 1,312. For reference, in 2024 the average price was within $ 1,260.In addition, the study notes that prices in the premium segment are twice as high as the average price.More specifically, by category, the prices of residential real estate in Tbilisi are as follows: Economy - $786 Economy + - $1,067 Comfort - $1,439 Premium - $2,087 Premium + - $2,821 Luxury - $4,088

1770893747

The Prime Minister also summarized the economic indicators of last year and noted that 7.5% growth was recorded, which exceeded the forecasts of international organizations. According to him, for the first time in history, the Georgian economy has crossed the 100 billion GEL mark and amounted to 104 billion GEL, and the per capita indicator has reached $ 10,000.According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the basis for optimism is provided by the reforms implemented in recent months, especially in the Ministry of Economy system and state-owned enterprises, which allow the country to achieve even more ambitious goals.

1770893520

According to Georgian Railway, the port is situated in western Turkmenistan on the Caspian Sea coast and serves as a crucial hub within the Middle Corridor, connecting Asia and Europe.The representatives agreed to collaborate on reducing delays and associated costs, as the railway ferries continue to operate at full capacity, pending the realisation of large-scale infrastructural developments undertaken by Turkmenistan to enhance future throughput.

1770893417

According to the Pension Fund, 2026 started quite well for all portfolios of the Pension Fund, in which the dynamic portfolio traditionally led: Dynamic – 2.76% Balanced – 2.06% Conservative – 1.49% In addition, the dynamic portfolio has been leading in terms of annualized income since its creation (August 6, 2023), and its profitability is equal to 15%, while the corresponding indicators for the balanced and conservative portfolios are 13.5% and 12.1%.By the end of January, the assets of the Pension Fund of Georgia exceeded GEL 8.5 billion, and the generated profitability reached GEL 2.4 billion.The number of participants in the pension scheme is 1 million 715 thousand people.As of January 31, 2026, 27,643 people benefited from the funded pension, and 129,544,402.18 GEL was issued to them as pensions.

1770876069