Georgia

DeFi Intel Research Desk2026-07-15Asia

Is crypto legal in Georgia? (2026)

Yes — cryptocurrency is legal in Georgia. Current status: Legal — registered VASPs. Oversight sits with National Bank of Georgia (NBG). Full details — governing law, licensing, tax and dated enforcement history — follow below (last reviewed 2026-07-15).

Framework: VASP amendments to the Law on Facilitating the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism (in force 1 January 2023) + NBG registration rules (Order 94/04 of 13 June 2023).

Georgia regulates crypto through AML-law amendments that took effect on 1 January 2023, creating a mandatory VASP registration regime at the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), fit-and-proper criteria for VASP administrators, and AML/CFT supervision aligned with FATF recommendations. The regime became operative during 2023: NBG Order 94/04 of 13 June 2023 details the authorisation process, the registration requirement applied from 1 July 2023, and providers already active had to file registration documents by 29 September 2023. Registrable services span exchange between virtual assets and fiat (including via kiosks), crypto-to-crypto exchange, exchange against financial instruments, transfers, safekeeping and administration, portfolio management, trading-platform administration and ICO-related services. The NBG decides on a complete application within 60 calendar days, extendable once by a further 60 days, and publishes a downloadable register of registered VASPs.

Tax treatment

Georgia is tax-favourable for individuals: income received by a natural person from the supply of crypto-assets is exempt from personal income tax, and the exchange of crypto for national or foreign currency is VAT-exempt. Companies fall under Georgia’s Estonian-style corporate model: 15% profit tax is levied only when profits are distributed (dividends carry a further 5% withholding).

Travel rule applicability

Status: FATF-aligned AML regime. The 2023 amendments were adopted to implement FATF recommendations on virtual assets, and registered VASPs are obliged entities under the AML law. Georgia-specific transfer-data thresholds are pending verification.

Notable enforcement actions

• 2023. Providing virtual-asset services without NBG registration became unlawful once the transition closed — pre-existing providers had to file by 29 September 2023.

Public licensed CASP list

The NBG publishes the official register of registered VASPs, downloadable from nbg.gov.ge. DeFi Intel mirrors regulator registers rather than republishing third-party lists.

Comparison to neighbours

Compare Georgia crypto regulation with three geographically adjacent jurisdictions:

Doing business in Georgia — practical notes

Registration with the NBG is the gateway for exchanges, kiosk operators, custodians and trading platforms serving Georgian residents; expect a 60-day (extendable) review of corporate structure, administrators and AML programmes. The individual income-tax and VAT exemptions apply to natural persons only — companies are inside the profit-tax net, with the 15% charge arising on distribution under the Estonian-style model.

Methodology and sources

This profile was researched and updated by DeFi Intel's research desk on 2026-07-15 from the primary and secondary sources listed below. Claims that could not be verified against a source are omitted or marked pending — we do not republish unverified third-party datasets. Submit corrections and primary-source links to research@defi-intel.com.

Sources

• National Bank of Georgia — VASP page and register (official)
• Andersen Georgia — legal framework for virtual asset services
• Andersen Georgia — taxation of crypto assets (PIT exemption, VAT, 15% CIT on distribution)
• National Bank of Georgia — VASP FAQ (1 Jan 2023 entry into force; 90-day filing window)
• LegalBison — Georgia VASP registration (Order 94/04, timelines)
• Lightspark country brief — Georgia compliance overview
• MKD Law (Tbilisi) — virtual assets in Georgia