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14 April, 2014
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Banks’ Credit Portfolio in Georgia Will Exceed GEL 12 Billion in 2014, Zurab Gvasalia
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Operating Income of BG Capital Increased by 37% in 2013
The FINANCIAL
T Fine and Punishment by MICHAEL FUENFZIG ISET Policy Institute
I
magine arriving at a provincial airport in an unnamed Central Asian country. You leave the terminal and go straight to row of waiting taxis. In your Lonely Planet you read that you should pay about $10 for what is a short taxi ride to the city center. You ask the first taxi driver and are quoted a fantasy price of $50. You try to bargain, to no avail. You go to the next taxi, and once again you are quoted $50. You finally go to the third taxi, and lo and behold, it’s the same price, $50. And you don’t even try to bargain anymore… Now, imagine this to play out over and over again. When you want to buy gasoline. Continued on p. 2
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The FINANCIAL
agement and operational flexibility to address some of the important challenges that have emerged in 2013”, Giorgi Kadagidze, Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, told The FINANCIAL. Continued on p. 4
TBC Bank – Best Bank of Georgia 2014 by Global Finance The FINANCIAL “Our market share in total assets and total loans stood at 25.3% and 27.2% respectively,” Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, Chief Executive Officer of TBC Bank, told The FINANCIAL. “Dur-
enues amounted to GEL 2,425 million in 2013, which is GEL 280 million more than in 2012. As for the net profit, it has grown from GEL 134 million to GEL 389 million. The volume of the banks’ capital increased significantly as well, from GEL 2,390 million to GEL 2,890 million. Continued on p. 12
ing 2013, our gross loan portfolio increased by 16.6% and reached GEL 2,958.6 million. During 2013, total customer deposits increased by 16.1% to 2,886.9 million. Continued on p. 8
Life after Misha? MERAB PACHULIA GORBI
A
Dear reader,
monthly revenue in Q1 2014 is expected to exceed GEL 10 million, a material improvement q-o-q and a very sizeable one on a y-o-y basis.
fter two years, long time columnist Frank Klobucar is leaving Georgia and he will no longer be contributing to this premier newspaper. I want to use this opportunity to thank him for his hard work in bringing readers up to date through numbers and offering his unique perspectives on Georgia. Of course I am also grateful for the continued professional collaboration with The FINANCIAL. From now on I will be sharing exclusive survey data with you. My aim is to uncover public opinions and attitudes of the Georgian population, describe how other countries are thinking about Georgia, and to present trend data.
Continued on p. 6
Continued on p. 13
The FINANCIAL
N
et Interest Income of Liberty Bank increased by 11.1% y-o-y to GEL 60.6 million in 2013. The improved operating performance of the Bank in Q4 2013 well positioned the Bank for a confident start to 2014. Partnership with Smartex enabled the Bank to reach over one million younger clients. Meanwhile the elderly population in Georgia has kept up well with technological developments. More than 30% of their transactions have shifted to remote channels. “Based on January’s results, the Bank’s average
T
he operating income of BG Capital increased by 37% in 2013 and amounted to GEL 1,128,223. The company opened a branch in Azerbaijan this year. Continued on p. 10
Liberty Bank: Ubiquity Taken to the Next Level
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ncreasing activity on the lending market is predicted to be one of the main challenges for the Georgian banking sector this year. It is not recommended for growth of the loan portfolio to happen at the expense of lending standards. External shocks provide a reason to worry, but from a prudential side banks remain well insulated against them. Despite the high growth rates of the past, the size of the Georgian banking system is still relatively low and has significant future growth potential. “The banking sector has displayed robust risk man-
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Apr 12
NBG: External Shocks Remain a Significant Risk
he Georgian banking sector will become more active within the framework of economic recovery and the credit portfolio will exceed at least GEL 12 billion, believes Zurab Gvasalia, President of the Association of Banks of Georgia. Georgian banking sector has already recorded improved performance, as its profit in 2013 was the highest in recent years and about three times more than it was in 2012. Increased interest income and increased income from banking services are what drove the sector to such remarkable financial indicators, according to Gvasalia. “Georgian banks’ total rev-
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