National Bank of Georgia to invest additional $200 mln in Chinese government bonds

TBILISI. April 17 (Interfax) - The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) plans to increase investment in Chinese government bonds to $300 million, NBG President Natia Turnava said.

"In 2021, $100 million were placed in Chinese yuan. An additional $200 million will be placed gradually. We have already started the first transactions, which are the purchase and sale of Chinese government bonds. This is a good experience for us, a good opportunity to learn how to trade on this market," Turnava was quoted as saying by the publication bm.ge.

"Few institutional investors and central banks have the opportunity to purchase Chinese government bonds, although demand is very high," she said.

Turnava recalled that the NBG had previously set a portfolio limit for the purchase of Chinese government bonds at no more than 5% of total reserves.

It was previously reported that the NBG gained access to the Chinese interbank bond market (CIBM) at the beginning of this year, and the NBG's accounts were opened with the People's Bank of China.

Currently, the majority of the NBG's reserves are placed in assets denominated in dollars, with around 15% of reserves in gold.

Georgia's international reserves grew 38% (to $6.16 billion) in 2025 after declining 11.2% in 2024. As of the end of March 2026, they reached $6.32 billion.

According to an International Monetary Fund forecast, Georgia's reserves could amount to $6.1 billion in 2026 and $6.8 billion in 2027.

The largest investment bank in the country, Galt & Taggart, forecasts growth in international reserves this year of 14%, to $7 billion.