The tradition – and, in most cases, the only way – for Georgian entrepreneurs to finance their businesses and ideas is bank lending, so-called debt financing. However, this source of financing is very limited for start-ups and early-stage businesses, due to the high level of risk involved, the unavailability of collateral assets, and high loan interest rates, which are almost unaffordable for companies that do not generate sufficient returns yet.

In 2007, an American businessman and friend of the then Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, was visiting Damascus before continuing his journey to Jerusalem. On the morning of his departure to Israel, the Mukhabarat, Syria’s secret service, knocked at his hotel room. The Syrian agents calmed down the scared businessman – he was not to be taken to some torture prison, of which there were many in Syria.

On Thursday, April 6, ISET hosted Professor Giorgio Brunello, who delivered a seminar for the ISET community. The title of his presentation was “Does Delayed Retirement Affect Youth Employment? Evidence from Italian Provinces”. According to his research, pension reforms that raise the minimum retirement age increase the pool of senior individuals aged 50+ who are not eligible to retire from the labor market.

In March 2017, the average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian khachapuri dropped to 3.41GEL, which is 6.9% lower month-on-month (compared to February 2017), and 4.1% higher year-on-year (compared to March 2016).

On Friday, March 31, Aleksi Aleksishvili, CEO and Chairman of the board of the Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG), awarded need-based scholarships to two first-year students – Mariam Tsulukidze and Zaza Barbakadze.