🌎 Ripple Meets Georgia’s National Bank to Discuss Digital Economy

Ripple executives met with Georgia’s National Bank Governor Natia Turnava to discuss the possibility of digitalizing the economy using blockchain technology.

Ripple and Georgia: Exploring Digitalization Opportunities

Ripple appears to be exploring new avenues for collaboration in the digitalization of Georgia’s economy following a recent meeting between its top executives and officials from the National Bank of Georgia (NBG).

Natia Turnava, acting governor of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG), along with Varlam Ebanoidze, head of the financial and supervisory technology development department, recently met with Ripple’s vice president James Wallis, and Alistair Brown, vice president of EPAM Systems, during their visit to Tbilisi.

While the specifics of the discussions remain undisclosed, a representative from the central bank confirmed that the meeting focused on “exploring potential avenues for collaboration in the digitalization of the Georgian economy.” Ripple and NBG were contacted for further comments, and updates will be provided if more information becomes available.

Ripple and the Digital Lari Initiative

In late 2023, the National Bank of Georgia announced Ripple as its official technology partner for developing the digital lari, Georgia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC). Ripple stated that the pilot program with NBG aims to test its CBDC technology and assess its practical applications for the public sector, businesses, and retail users. It is unclear if the recent discussions between Ripple and NBG were related to the digital lari initiative.