Tether Partners with Georgia to Launch Government-Backed GEL₮ Stablecoin Pegged to Georgian Lari

May 25, 2026

Tether announced plans to launch GEL₮, a stablecoin pegged to the Georgian Lari, in partnership with the Georgian government. This represents one of the first cases of a sovereign government directly partnering with a stablecoin issuer to digitize its national currency on blockchain infrastructure. Georgia introduced a regulatory framework designed to align with emerging U.S. stablecoin rules to enable the project.

GEL₮ stablecoin launch

▪Tether announced plans to launch GEL₮, a stablecoin tied to Georgia's national currency.
▪GEL₮ is pegged to the Georgian Lari.
▪Georgia introduced a regulatory framework designed to align with emerging U.S. stablecoin rules.
▪Tether is partnering with the Georgian government to launch GEL₮.

Blockchain payment infrastructure

▪The GEL₮ project aims to bring faster payments to Georgia using blockchain infrastructure.

Perspective of Georgian government

▪Georgia introduced a regulatory framework designed to align with emerging U.S. stablecoin rules.
▪The Georgian government aims to bring faster payments, cheaper transfers, and programmable financial services to Georgia using blockchain infrastructure through GEL₮.