Ekaterine Mikabadze Participates in Event Dedicated to Alma’s Debut Bond Issuance

Ekaterine Mikabadze, First Vice Governor of the National Bank of Georgia, participated in an event marking the debut bond issuance by the company Alma.

In her remarks, Vice Governor Mikabadze highlighted the significant progress achieved in the development of Georgia’s capital market, noting that its size has just about doubled in recent years, with the National Bank of Georgia playing a key role in this progress.

“The debut bond issuance by Alma is a very important milestone for Georgia’s capital market. It is noteworthy that Alma is the first advertising company to issue securities on the local market, which makes the capital market more diverse from a sectoral perspective. The entry of a new issuer is, in itself, a clear reflection of the confidence in Georgia’s capital market.

This year, the corporate bond market has been developing quite actively in Georgia, with around GEL 325 million placed so far a 50% increase compared to the same period last year. We hope that this momentum will continue through the end of the year, resulting in substantial growth of the capital market.

It is also important to emphasize that Georgia’s supervisory framework is fully aligned with international best practices, and all relevant EU directives have been implemented. This further strengthens confidence in the capital market, both from investors and issuers,” - stated Vice Governor Mikabadze.

The debut issuance attracted strong interest from both local and international investors, with participation from more than 150 individual and institutional investors.

Alma, a leading company in the outdoor advertising sector, carried out its debut bond issuance with the support of Galt & Taggart and TBC Capital, under the Capital Market Support Program of the agency Enterprise Georgia.