BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. Georgia issued
12.9 million new American Express debit cards in the period from
January through August 2026, up 15.1% year-on-year.
The figures were calculated by Trend based on data published by the National Bank of
Georgia.
The calculations show that the indicator also increased in
January-August 2025, rising 24.2% compared with the same period of
2024, when 9.1 million cards were issued.
Meanwhile, 6.2 million new American Express debit cards were
issued in January-August 2023. The indicator therefore increased by
45.1% in the same period of 2024.
The data show that American Express debit card issuance in
Georgia continued to grow over the past three years, although the
annual growth rate gradually slowed, Trend reports.
For reference, Georgia’s payment infrastructure includes both
retail and wholesale payment systems, with the National Bank of
Georgia (NBG) responsible for regulation and oversight. Card
transactions are processed mainly through Georgian Card and United
Financial Corporation, while commercial banks and registered
payment service providers participate in the systems.
The country has seen a steady expansion in the use of bank cards
and non-cash payments. A 2025 report by Galt & Taggart, based on
NBG and IMF data, said the average adult in Georgia held more than
three bank cards, compared with 2.3 in 2019 and 3.2 in 2024. The
growth has been supported partly by digital wallets such as Apple
Pay and Google Pay.
Georgia is also developing infrastructure for digital and
instant payments. In May 2026, the NBG completed the modernization
of its real-time gross settlement and clearing systems, adopting
the ISO 20022 standard and preparing the infrastructure for an
Instant Payments System.
