Crypto & Digital Assets · Georgia
Is crypto legal in Georgia? Regulation & rules (2026)
Georgia shaded by its crypto & digital assets status
Georgia operates a live VASP mandatory-registration regime under the National Bank of Georgia since January 2023, covering exchanges, custody, and portfolio management with AML/CFT obligations. Stablecoin issuance rules and a fines framework for VASPs are in force, while a significant expansion—adding minimum capital requirements, expanded supervisory powers, and consumer-protection rules—was submitted to Parliament in September 2025 with implementing acts due by September 2026. Individuals face no capital-gains tax on crypto trading; businesses pay a 15% distributed-profits tax under the Estonian model.
Key points
Mandatory NBG registration for all virtual-asset service providers has been live since August 1, 2023. Activities covered include crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto exchange, safekeeping/administration, portfolio management, and trading-platform operation. Unregistered entities are publicly warned against.
A bill submitted to Parliament on 17 September 2025 would introduce minimum supervisory capital requirements for VASPs, enhanced NBG inspection and enforcement powers, and explicit consumer-protection obligations. All implementing subordinate acts must be issued by 1 September 2026.
NBG adopted a 'Rule for the Initial Coin Offering of a Stablecoin by a VASP' requiring 100% reserve backing, full segregation of reserve assets from issuer assets, quarterly independent audits (Big Four required when reserves exceed GEL 15 million / ~USD 5.5 million), and prior written NBG consent.
NBG approved a separate regulation on determining, imposing, and enforcing monetary fines against VASPs and their administrators. The NBG also publicly urges consumers not to use unregistered entities, signalling active enforcement posture.
Profits from cryptocurrency trading are exempt from personal income tax for Georgian-resident individuals because such gains are classified as foreign-sourced income. Crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto conversions are also VAT-exempt as crypto is treated akin to monetary funds.
NBG's FinTech Development Strategy acknowledges decentralised finance as an area under active research. No DeFi-specific rules exist; the current VASP framework targets centralised intermediaries. A digital sandbox was launched in April 2025 for innovative financial products.
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Last verified 5/24/2026 · Orientation, not legal advice - verify against the primary sources linked above. Explore the full world map →