The National Bank of Georgia hosted a meeting with representatives of financial market institutions to present opportunities for accessing China’s bond market.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, commercial banks, brokerage firms, asset management companies, and financial infrastructure providers. During the session, NBG representatives discussed the policy framework for international reserve diversification, including investment practices in assets denominated in Chinese yuan.


Participants also reviewed the growing role of the Chinese yuan in the international monetary system. It was noted that the International Monetary Fund has included the yuan in the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket alongside the US dollar, the euro, the Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling as the fifth currency in the basket.

The meeting highlighted examples of countries that have already invested in yuan-denominated assets. Japan has invested the equivalent of USD 10 billion in Chinese assets; Australia has invested USD 1.9 billion; and Switzerland has obtained an investment quota of 15 billion yuan, representing an investment capacity of approximately USD 2.4 billion. In addition, the European Central Bank made its first investment in Chinese securities in 2017, amounting to EUR 500 million.

This practice demonstrates that investment in Chinese yuan and Chinese securities has become a standard and well-established diversification instrument for central banks.

Access to Chinese financial markets has further expanded following the National Bank of Georgia’s successful entry into the China Interbank Bond Market (CIBM), one of the world’s largest and most significant financial markets.

“Obtaining access to the CIBM marks an important milestone in the development of the National Bank of Georgia’s investment policy. It enables us to manage international reserves more flexibly and efficiently, broaden the range of investment instruments, and further strengthen our risk management framework,” stated Natia Turnava.


The Governor of the National Bank of Georgia further explained that investments in Chinese yuan and Chinese government securities are undertaken strictly for diversification purposes. Overall, the share of non-core currencies in the reserves is set at 10 percent, of which approximately 5 percent will be allocated to yuan-denominated instruments.

“It is essential for Georgia that international reserves are diversified across currencies, asset classes, and geographic regions. This approach mitigates concentration risks and strengthens the long-term resilience and sustainability of reserve management. The National Bank of Georgia will continue to manage international reserves in line with a prudent, low-risk, and well-diversified investment strategy, fully aligned with best international practices,” the NBG Governor added.