Ripple executives recently met with Georgia’s National Bank Governor, Natia Turnava, to discuss potential blockchain-based digitalization initiatives for the country’s economy. This meeting signals Ripple’s continued interest in expanding its collaborations to further the digitalization efforts in Georgia.
During their visit to Tbilisi, Ripple’s Vice President James Wallis and Alistair Brown, Vice President of EPAM Systems, met with Natia Turnava, acting governor of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), and Varlam Ebanoidze, head of the financial and supervisory technology development department. Although specific details of the discussions remain undisclosed, a central bank representative confirmed that the talks focused on “exploring potential avenues for collaboration in the digitalization of the Georgian economy.”
In late 2023, the NBG named Ripple as its official technology partner for developing the digital lari, Georgia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC). This pilot program with Ripple aims to test CBDC technology and evaluate its practical applications for the public sector, businesses, and retail users. It remains unclear whether the recent discussions between Ripple and the NBG were directly related to the digital lari project.
Ripple and NBG have yet to provide further comments, but updates will be added if more information becomes available.