
The relationship between social assistance programs and electoral outcomes has gathered significant attention in both academic and policy circles, especially in the last decade. Social assistance programs, designed to support vulnerable populations, often carry political implications, particularly in developing democracies where incumbent governments may leverage these programs to secure voter loyalty.

For the first quarter of 2025, business confidence in Georgia decreased (by 8.8 index points) and reached -5.0. The highest decrease in business confidence is observed in the service (-21.5) sector. The negative change in BCI for Q1 2025 was driven by decreased past performance as well as pessimistic expectations.

Geostat has published its preliminary estimate of real GDP growth for November 2024, which stands at 7.5%. In addition, the estimated growth for the first, second, and third quarters of 2024 reached 8.7%, 9.7%, and 11%, respectively. Consequently, the average real GDP growth from January to November 2024 reached 9.4%.

or the past two years, Georgia has faced persistent political instability, driven by various legislative and electoral actions of the ruling party, ultimately resulting in a profound political crisis that has undermined the domestic and international legitimacy of the ruling party.

This note provides an overview of recent developments regarding Georgia’s foreign exchange Gross International Reserves (GIR), offers insights into some aspects of reserve adequacy, and central bank’s safeguards principles in the context of heightened political uncertainties. It appears that the GIR are likely inadequate to withstand prolonged political uncertainties. Furthermore, the National Bank of Georgia's (NBG) governance and regulatory frameworks are not presently equipped to counter these challenges.