25 May, 2026 – Tether, the largest company in the digital asset ecosystem, today announced plans to launch GEL₮, a stablecoin representing the Georgian Lari, with the support of the Government of Georgia. This marks one of the first joint efforts to place a national currency directly onto digital asset rails under a purpose-built stablecoin regulatory framework.
The launch comes as governments and central banks globally begin confronting a structural shift in how money moves. Stablecoins are increasingly being used for payments, settlement, remittances, and cross-border transfers, allowing value to move globally in seconds rather than through fragmented and costly banking systems that can take days to settle. Today, Tether’s USD₮ stablecoin has a market capitalization approaching $190 billion, with 24-hour trading volumes that regularly surpass traditional payment networks like Visa and Mastercard. Georgia’s decision to work with Tether reflects both the scale of that infrastructure and the company’s experience operating digital fiat infrastructure at global volume.
GEL₮ is designed to function as a digital representation of the Georgian Lari, enabling lower transaction costs, near-instant settlement, programmable payments, and more efficient movement of value across digital financial systems. The initiative is expected to support cross-border commerce, fintech development, digital payments, and broader access to programmable financial infrastructure throughout Georgia and the wider region.
The announcement builds on several years of legislative and regulatory work by the Government and the National Bank of Georgia to establish the most advanced, comprehensive digital asset frameworks in the region, creating a regulatory structure designed to attract digital asset businesses by providing legal clarity rather than regulatory ambiguity. Recognizing that digital fiat infrastructure is increasingly becoming part of global trade, remittances, and payment systems, the stablecoin framework has been developed with global standards around reserve management, redemption rights, issuer oversight, and AML compliance in mind.
Importantly, Georgia’s framework has been designed to achieve substantive compatibility with emerging U.S. stablecoin regulation, including the GENIUS Act, positioning Georgia among the earliest countries seeking direct regulatory interoperability with the evolving U.S. digital asset Framework.
“Together with visionary partners like Tether, Georgia is laying the foundations for a more connected, transparent, and digitally empowered financial world,” said Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze.
“Stablecoins are no longer a niche financial instrument. They are becoming part of the infrastructure layer for global finance,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “Georgia has moved early to create serious regulatory architecture for digital assets and stablecoins, and that clarity creates the foundation for real innovation and adoption.”
Georgia has already emerged as one of the more advanced jurisdictions for digital asset payments, including the ability to make tax payments by instantly converting digital assets into local currency. Further details regarding GEL₮’s structure, rollout, and regulatory implementation will be announced at a later stage.
“The National Bank of Georgia welcomes collaboration with global innovators like Tether as part of its broader strategy to advance secure, modern, and internationally aligned digital financial infrastructure,” said President of the National Bank of Georgia, Natia Turnava.
“In partnership with Tether, the global leader in digital assets and stablecoin innovation, Georgia has the opportunity to become a strategic bridge between traditional finance and the digital economy of the future,” added Vakhtang Turnava, Member of the Parliament of Georgia.
