Georgia's international reserves could reach $7.2 billion by the end of the year, according to a forecast by Galt & Taggart, voiced by economist Lasha Kavtaradze on BMGTV. According to him, the strengthening of the lari is supported by a stable inflow of foreign currency – through exports, remittances, and tourism revenues.
The economist noted that the impact of regional turmoil on the exchange rate was limited due to a sufficient level of reserves. Since the beginning of the year, the lari has strengthened by approximately 1%, and the National Bank of Georgia acquired $833 million in four months, continuing active purchases after a temporary pause in March.
According to experts, if current trends continue, foreign exchange reserves will exceed $7 billion, which will strengthen the financial system's stability and reduce the exchange rate's sensitivity to external shocks. At the same time, the recent devaluation was only about 2.7%, after which the exchange rate quickly returned to strengthening.
