In the past 12 hours, Georgian Business Times coverage was dominated by monetary policy and high-profile legal and public-safety items. The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) raised the refinancing rate to 8.25% (0.25pp), citing geopolitical tensions and rising oil-related inflation risks; the bank framed the move as preventive to stabilize inflation expectations. In parallel, a Tbilisi City Court decision sentenced brothers Davit and Giorgi Mikadze, and Giorgi Jokhadze, accused in the murder case of businessman Levan Jangveladze, to life imprisonment, with heightened security around the court. Media freedom also featured prominently, with coverage calling for urgent attention to Georgia’s escalating media freedom crisis and EU-level concern about democratic backsliding.
Business and infrastructure reporting in the last 12 hours included updates from Georgia Capital’s subsidiaries: Greenway Georgia reported higher 1Q26 revenue and EBITDA, while Ambol reported revenue growth with EBITDA remaining limited. On the infrastructure and energy connectivity front, Deputy Finance Minister Ekaterine Guntsadze discussed Georgia’s role in a proposed “energy Middle Corridor” and a “super grid” concept involving submarine cables across the Caspian and Black Seas, positioning Georgia as a link between Europe and Asia. Separately, the construction of Anaklia Deepwater Port was reported to have entered an active phase, with cost optimization cited in negotiations and plans for connecting road and rail components.
Public health and international developments also spilled into the Georgian news cycle. Multiple reports described a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship, including deaths and evacuations, with WHO involvement and ongoing investigations into possible exposure routes. Internationally, there was also attention to energy-security and trade pressures tied to the Strait of Hormuz and broader geopolitical risk, alongside EU/European-policy commentary that touched on the South Caucasus.
Looking slightly further back (12 to 72 hours ago), the same themes of regional connectivity and EU engagement continued to build context: coverage discussed EU and regional efforts to strengthen transport and energy links, including references to the Middle Corridor and related infrastructure cooperation. Georgia-specific political and institutional concerns also showed continuity, with earlier reporting on EU-facing criticism and the broader democratic environment. However, the most concrete, Georgia-relevant “hard news” in this rolling window remains the NBG rate hike, the court sentencing, and the Anaklia port construction update, while other items (such as the cruise outbreak) are largely international but have immediate public-safety implications.