Georgian National Bank Governor: Georgia’s international reserves hit record $8.25 billion in October
Economy
Natia Turnava
National Bank of Georgia
Natia Turnava, the Governor of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), on Monday presented the draft of the Main Directions of Monetary and Foreign Exchange Policy for 2027–2029 to Parliament’s Finance and Budget Committee, noting that the NBG’s net foreign currency purchases reached $3.37 billion in the first nine months of 2026, already surpassing the total recorded for the whole of 2025.
In her remarks, Turnava said favorable conditions in the foreign exchange market had enabled the accumulation of international reserves.
“The NBG’s net foreign currency purchases totaled $2.4 billion in 2025 and reached $3.37 billion in the first nine months of 2026. As a result, Georgia’s international reserves stood at a record $8.25 billion as of October 2026. The International Monetary Fund’s Assessing Reserve Adequacy (ARA) metric stood at 130% over the same period”, she said.
Turnava emphasized that international reserves serve as an important safeguard for the country’s macroeconomic stability and its resilience to external shocks. Accordingly, the National Bank will continue its consistent policy of replenishing and effectively managing reserves.
In 2024, the National Bank added monetary gold to its international reserve assets as part of its efforts to improve reserve management and diversification. Under this strategy, the NBG purchased an additional $500 million worth of monetary gold in 2026. As of October, the value of its monetary gold holdings had reached $1,365.4 million, accounting for 16.6% of total international reserves.
The currency composition of reserve assets has also become more diversified. In particular, British pounds have been added to international reserves, while holdings of Chinese yuan and euros have increased.
“Increasing the share of monetary gold and other currencies helps diversify reserves, protect them against global inflationary risks and preserve their purchasing power”, Turnava concluded.
