TBILISI, September 25 – Georgia is preparing a major expansion of its deposit insurance system, lifting the guaranteed payout ceiling from 30,000 to 50,000 lari (about USD 18,000) starting April 1, 2026.
The Deposit Insurance Agency announced the move this week, marking the third increase since the scheme was launched in 2018.
When the system was introduced, the cap stood at just 5,000 lari. It was raised to 15,000 lari in 2020, then to 30,000 in 2024, and now regulators are pushing the ceiling higher to cover more account holders. As of August 2025, insured deposits in Georgian banks and microbanks totaled more than 11.3 billion lari, with around 10.3 billion held by individuals and about 1 billion by companies.
Levan Todua, head of the Deposit Insurance Agency, said banks paid 6.27 million lari into the fund in August alone. Since 2018, commercial banks have contributed over 282 million lari, which is invested in safe treasury bonds. The fund expects to collect about 75–76 million lari from the banking sector in 2025.
Banking experts say the higher coverage limit is designed to reassure depositors in times of crisis. Economist Lia Eliava recalled that during the 2008 Georgia-Russia war, households withdrew about 40% of deposits, threatening the banking system. Raising the insurance ceiling, she said, is meant to prevent such panic withdrawals.
But Eliava also warned that the safety net should not be confused with overall bank stability. “If something happens and part of the deposits are lost, the state could not realistically cover all of it,” she noted. Still, she welcomed the increase and argued the cap should eventually rise to 100,000–150,000 lari to convince more Georgians to trust banks instead of keeping savings in cash at home.
Other experts, including financial analyst Mikheil Tokmazishvili, stressed that the step is logical given inflation and growing bank assets.
