Georgia-Serbia Trade Push: Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said a free trade agreement is close, with Serbia to open an embassy in Tbilisi; Vucic cited 36.4% growth in bilateral trade in early 2026 and urged faster transport links to tap the Middle Corridor. Banking & Households: Georgia’s National Bank tightens foreign-currency lending: from July 1, loans up to GEL 1 million must be in GEL (with limited exceptions), affecting FX-linked and indexed credits. Remittances: Remittances rose in May to up to $400m, up 7.1% year-on-year, led by the US ($64m) and with China’s share still small. Jobs & Wages: GeoStat reports Q1 2026 average nominal earnings up 8.9% to 2,363.8 GEL, with the biggest gains in mining and quarrying and financial/insurance. Capital Markets: Nutrimax’s debut public bonds highlight growing corporate bond activity; the NBG vice-governor stressed more issuers mean more long-term financing options. Regional Logistics: Kyrgyz logistics firms increasingly use the Middle Corridor via Black Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Caspian, citing steadier volumes amid regional instability. Energy & Sanctions Spillover: UK sanctions and court cases continue around Russia’s “shadow fleet,” underscoring how global oil trade and enforcement can ripple into regional markets. EU Dialogue Signal: Georgian Parliament’s foreign relations chair asked Luxembourg to raise with the European Commission the resumption of dialogue with Georgia, including on the transparency law.