Georgia plans to launch GEL₮ with Tether and government agencies as a stablecoin tied to the Georgian lari. Officials presented the move as an effort to place the national currency on blockchain payment rails, with use cases spanning payments, remittances, cross-border transfers, fintech services, and digital commerce.
Tether said GEL₮ will operate as a digital version of the lari across blockchain-based financial systems. The project is intended to support faster settlement, lower transfer costs, and programmable payments. The scope goes beyond crypto trading and points directly to transaction flows used in everyday finance.
Georgia built a dedicated framework before the launch plan
The rollout follows years of regulatory work by the Government of Georgia and the National Bank of Georgia. Authorities created a digital asset framework covering reserve management, redemption rights, issuer oversight, and AML compliance. Those elements sit at the center of any stablecoin model because they define how issuance, backing, and redemption are handled.
Officials also said the framework is designed to align with emerging global stablecoin rules, including the U.S. GENIUS Act. Georgia said the structure is being positioned for interoperability with future U.S. digital asset rules as well, showing that GEL₮ is being framed not only as a local payment instrument but as part of broader cross-border financial infrastructure.
Officials frame the project as financial infrastructure
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Georgia wants to support a more connected and transparent financial system through partnerships with firms such as Tether. Natia Turnava, President of the National Bank of Georgia, said the central bank supports cooperation with international digital asset companies.
Parliament member Vakhtang Turnava said the partnership could strengthen links between traditional finance and digital markets. Georgia already supports systems that allow digital asset conversions into local currency for tax payments, and officials said the new framework is intended to expand digital financial infrastructure across the region.
Tether points to scale in stablecoin payments, timeline still pending
Tether tied the GEL₮ plan to rising global use of stablecoins in payments and international transfers. The company said stablecoins are increasingly handling settlement activity that traditional banking systems process more slowly. It added that USD₮ is approaching a $190 billion market capitalization and that daily trading volume regularly exceeds networks such as Visa and Mastercard.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said governments are increasingly viewing stablecoins as part of global financial infrastructure, and he added that Georgia has created regulatory clarity for digital asset businesses. Tether said more details on GEL₮’s structure, rollout timeline, and regulatory implementation will be released later.