Compare Top Crypto Exchanges in Georgia

1. Bybit

Bybit is the only global exchange on the NBG register. Bybit Georgia Limited LLC registered as a virtual asset service provider (VASP) in October 2024, and residents trade through bybitgeorgia.ge with a Georgian-language interface. At its official launch in March, the NBG confirmed that the company also holds payment provider registration.

We bought USDT using a Bank of Georgia debit card in under two minutes. Apple Pay and Google Pay worked on the same screen, with an option to deposit lari for later purchases. Spot trading costs 0.1% whether an order waits on the order book or executes immediately. The Georgian platform has fewer products than global Bybit, and our verified account offered no perpetual futures.

Launched in January with Mastercard and Pave Bank, the Bybit Card converts crypto to lari at checkout because Georgian law prohibits direct crypto payments to merchants. The virtual version is free, while a physical card costs 29.99 USDT. Its spending fees include a 0.9% conversion charge and an additional 2% on foreign-currency purchases.

The group suffered the largest exchange hack on record in February 2025, when attackers stole about $1.5 billion in Ether. Bybit replaced the missing reserves without suspending withdrawals, and no customer lost funds. Our Bybit review examines the breach and its response.

Pros

• The only global exchange on the NBG register, with VASP and payment provider registrations.
• Lari purchases through Georgian bank cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus a flat 0.1% spot fee.
• A Mastercard that converts crypto to lari at checkout, with a free virtual version.

Cons

• No perpetual futures and fewer products than global Bybit.
• The 2025 theft was the largest exchange hack on record, although no customer lost funds.
• Card spending incurs a 0.9% conversion fee and an extra 2% on purchases outside lari.

2. Binance

Binance has the largest lari P2P market. During our evening checks, Bank of Georgia and TBC ads outnumbered those on every rival, with sellers also accepting Credo, Liberty and Basisbank. Buyers pay sellers by bank transfer while Binance holds the coins in escrow until payment is confirmed.

Our 500 lari purchase through TBC was released in about four minutes, at a rate within half a percent of the NBG’s official dollar rate. Choosing a seller at your own bank keeps the transfer free and instant. P2P prices vary, though, and popular ads often set minimum purchase amounts.

Beyond P2P, Binance lists more than 400 coins and offers futures alongside Earn interest products. Spot trading costs 0.1%, falling to 0.075% when fees are paid in BNB, its native token. Monthly proof-of-reserves reports show whether customer balances are backed, while the SAFU insurance fund provides an additional safeguard.

Georgian residents hold accounts with Binance’s offshore company, which has no NBG registration and falls outside the rules for registered providers. The group also pleaded guilty to US charges over its anti-money laundering controls in 2023 and agreed to $4.3 billion in penalties. Our Binance review examines the platform in more detail, while Bybit vs Binance compares the two directly.

Pros

• The most lari P2P sellers, covering both major banks and several smaller ones.
• Free same-bank P2P payments that usually settle within minutes.
• Spot fees of 0.1%, or 0.075% when paid in BNB.

Cons

• No NBG registration or coverage under its rules for registered providers.
• Seller-dependent P2P prices, with minimum order amounts on many popular ads.
• A $4.3 billion US penalty from 2023 on its record..

3. OKX

For Georgians who want to hold their own coins after buying, OKX includes a self-custody wallet in its app. You control the keys, so no exchange can freeze the balance. You can move USDT bought with lari into that wallet without leaving the app, as explained in our OKX Wallet review.

Maker orders, which wait on the order book, start at 0.08%; taker orders execute immediately and cost 0.10%. Our maker and taker fees guide explains the distinction. P2P sellers accept lari through Bank of Georgia, TBC, Credo and Liberty. We counted roughly half as many ads as on Binance, and our Bank of Georgia purchase took nine minutes to release.

More than 350 coins are listed, and OKX has published monthly proof-of-reserves reports since late 2022. It has no NBG registration. Its operator pleaded guilty in the United States in February 2025 to running an unlicensed money transmitting business, agreeing to penalties above $504 million. Our OKX review covers the case and subsequent compliance changes.

Pros

• Maker fees of 0.08% and taker fees of 0.10%, the lowest in this ranking after MEXC.
• An integrated self-custody wallet.
• Monthly proof-of-reserves reporting since late 2022.

Cons

• Roughly half Binance’s lari P2P ads, with slower releases in our tests.
• No NBG registration.
• A 2025 US guilty plea on its compliance record.

4. Cryptal

Built in Georgia, Cryptal operates through Digital Ledger Technologies LLC. The company holds NBG registration 0002-9404, among the central bank’s earliest registrations. Its website is available in Georgian and English, with phone support based in Tbilisi.

Cryptal’s fee page lists free bank transfers and top-ups through BOG Pay and TBC Pay. Card and Apple Pay deposits cost 2%. Our Bank of Georgia transfer arrived in under a minute as TOGEL, Cryptal’s lari-pegged token used for trading. After selling Bitcoin, we paid a flat 1 lari to withdraw to a TBC card.

The exchange lists about 30 coins and charged us 0.25% per trade, more than twice Bybit’s rate. Neither futures nor staking, which rewards users for locking up coins, is available. Small order books mean a large Bitcoin order can move the price. TOGEL holders also depend on Cryptal’s reserves, and lari-pegged tokens of this kind now fall under the NBG’s stablecoin rule adopted in March.

Pros

• Free incoming lari bank transfers and low flat withdrawal fees to Georgian cards.
• An NBG-registered Georgian operator with local-language support.
• Bank of Georgia and TBC deposits credited within minutes.

Cons

• About 30 coins and no futures, staking or copy trading.
• A 0.25% trading fee, with small order books adding to the cost of larger orders.
• Balances held in TOGEL depend on Cryptal’s own reserves.

5. MEXC

With no charge for spot maker orders and a 0.05% taker fee, MEXC has the lowest trading fees in this ranking. It also offers the widest selection at more than 3,000 coins. Newly launched tokens tend to arrive early.

Lari funding was less competitive. We found only a handful of Bank of Georgia and TBC P2P ads, priced about 1% above Binance’s. Instead, we bought USDT on Bybit and transferred it to MEXC over Tron’s TRC-20 network, which charges a low flat transfer fee. Matching the network at both ends is essential to avoid losing coins; our TRC-20 USDT explainer shows how.

Registered in Seychelles, MEXC has neither NBG registration nor a license from a major regulator. Its reserve reports are audited by Hacken. The exchange froze about $3.1 million belonging to one trader for months in 2025 before it apologized and released the funds. Our MEXC review details its verification tiers and withdrawal limits.

Pros

• No spot maker fees and a 0.05% taker fee.
• More than 3,000 coins, including early listings of new tokens.
• Hacken-audited reserve reports.

Cons

• Few lari P2P sellers, leaving most users to transfer USDT from another exchange.
• No NBG registration or license from a major regulator.
• Low daily volume on many smaller listings, which can make them difficult to sell.

6. Bitget

A hack during our testing window leaves Bitget in sixth place. Its copy trading remains the most developed in this ranking, allowing users to review another trader’s past returns and losses before mirroring their spot or futures positions. The exchange lists more than 800 coins and charges 0.1% for spot trades.

On 24 September, attackers took about $387.5 million from Bitget’s wallets. The exchange suspended withdrawals and said its Protection Fund would cover the loss. Services reopened in stages, with ordinary-currency withdrawals and P2P trading returning on 2 October. Chief executive Gracy Chen told CNBC that she expected little of the stolen crypto to be recovered. Bitget rebuilt the fund to above $300 million using its own capital.

Even before the breach, Bank of Georgia and TBC lari P2P ads were scarce. Our mid-September purchase took eleven minutes to release, and we have not retested since P2P reopened. Bitget has no NBG registration. Follow its recovery in our Bitget review, or compare alternatives in our copy trading platforms guide.

Pros

• Spot and futures copy trading, with published statistics for each lead trader.
• The Protection Fund covered September’s loss without touching customer balances.
• More than 800 coins and a 0.1% spot fee.

Cons

• About $387.5 million lost in the 24 September hack, with withdrawals frozen for several days.
• Limited lari P2P sellers and no NBG registration.
• Copy trading replicates a trader’s leverage and losses as well as their positions.

How to Choose a Crypto Exchange in Georgia

Check the NBG register first, then compare funding costs for your bank.

1. Look the company up on the NBG register: Consult the central bank’s register of virtual asset service providers. Since 1 January, registered firms must also display their NBG registration on their websites and apps, as well as in offices and kiosks. Only Bybit and Cryptal from this ranking appear on the register.
2. Match the funding method to your bank: Paying a P2P seller at another bank can cost more than a same-bank transfer. TBC’s standard card allows free lari transfers to other banks up to 2,000 lari. Its paid cards have higher allowances.
3. Check for the card surcharge on foreign platforms: Since 15 April, Bank of Georgia and TBC have charged 1.5% on lari debit card payments to international platforms, capped at 10 lari. Offshore exchange card purchases can attract this fee. It is deducted separately and will not appear at checkout.
4. Price the whole purchase and sale: Funding Cryptal with a free bank transfer and trading 1,000 lari at 0.25% costs 2.50 lari. A 2% card deposit costs 20 lari before you trade. With P2P, the seller’s margin over the bank rate usually matters more than the 0.1% spot fee.
5. Plan how you will spend or cash out: Georgian shops cannot accept crypto directly. Sell for lari and withdraw to your bank, or use a card that converts crypto at checkout. Our crypto debit cards guide compares the programs.

For deposit pricing, see our guides to buying crypto with Apple Pay and Google Pay. The credit card guide covers cash-advance charges, while Georgian freelancers receiving payments from abroad can consult our Payoneer guide.

Crypto and Bitcoin Regulation in Georgia

Georgia permits buying, holding and selling crypto, but payments must still be made in lari. Businesses that exchange or transfer crypto, or store it for customers, must register with the NBG as VASPs.

• 28 June 2019: The Ministry of Finance issued Public Decision No. 201, establishing the tax treatment that still applies to individuals.
• 1 January 2023: Amendments to the Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia took effect. They defined virtual assets and gave the NBG authority over VASPs. They also prohibited crypto payments.
• June to July 2023: NBG Order 94/04 established registration rules for exchanges, custody and transfers, alongside lending and self-service kiosks. Registration became mandatory that summer.
• February 2024: The first NBG registrations were issued, including Cryptal’s operator.
• 24 October 2024: Bybit Georgia Limited LLC became the first company from a global exchange group to join the register.
• 1 January 2026: Displaying proof of registration became mandatory for registered firms. The NBG introduced the requirement after finding unregistered operators, some based in free industrial zones.
• March to May 2026: A new NBG rule required stablecoin issuers to hold at least 500,000 lari in capital. Tether and the government announced plans in May for GEL₮, a lari-pegged stablecoin. The NBG governor welcomed the project, but no launch date has been published.
• 7 August 2026: The US Treasury sanctioned Shelbit, an exchange operated through a Georgia-registered company, over transfers linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. According to the NBG, the company had never applied for registration.
• 8 September 2026: The NBG set minimum capital for VASPs at 150,000 lari for exchange and transfer services. Trading platforms need 350,000 lari; other services require 250,000 lari. Existing firms have until 1 September 2027 to comply.

NBG registration provides supervision, but it does not insure your coins. Georgia’s deposit insurance covers lari and foreign currency at banks. Crypto held on an exchange is excluded, regardless of registration.

Companies bear the responsibility to register. We found no rule penalizing residents for holding offshore exchange accounts, although the NBG cannot intervene in disputes over those accounts. Our USDT legal status tracker covers how other countries treat the stablecoin most Georgians buy first.

How Is Crypto Taxed in Georgia?

A Ministry of Finance ruling exempts individuals’ profits from crypto sales from income tax. Other forms of crypto income remain subject to normal taxation.

• Selling crypto is untaxed for individuals: Public Decision No. 201 treats an individual’s profit from selling crypto as income that is not Georgian-source, placing it outside personal income tax. Bloomberg Tax’s analysis of the decision explains the reasoning.
• No VAT on exchanging: Converting crypto to lari or another currency falls outside value-added tax, whether an individual or a company makes the exchange.
• Companies pay when profits are distributed: Georgian companies’ crypto gains are subject to 15% corporate income tax when profits are paid out to owners.
• Paid work and mining services are income: Salaries and freelance fees received in crypto are taxed at the flat 20% income tax rate. Selling computing power to a client is service income taxed at the same rate. Although the ruling does not address coins earned directly by miners, local advisers generally consider them taxable.
• Keep records anyway: Banks in Georgia ask about the source of funds for large incoming transfers. Exchange statements documenting purchases and sales help answer those questions quickly.

Your residency status affects how the ruling applies, and public rulings can change. Confirm your position with a Georgian tax adviser or the Revenue Service, as this is general information. Our low-tax crypto countries guide compares Georgia’s treatment with other regimes.

Cryptocurrency Adoption in Georgia

With fewer than four million people, Georgia uses crypto more intensively than its population suggests. It placed third globally on a population-adjusted basis in Chainalysis’s 2025 adoption index, behind Ukraine and Moldova.

• A banked population: According to World Bank data cited by Forbes Georgia, 79% of adults have an account. Mobile banking apps are the default payment method.
• Large transfers: Stablecoins let residents and newcomers move savings across borders before converting them to lari through a registered VASP. Property purchases are a common use, as sellers must receive currency by bank transfer.
• A market of exchange desks: Walk-in offices in Tbilisi and Batumi account for most of the roughly 40 registered VASPs. They exchange USDT for cash or bank transfers.
• Cards and a lari stablecoin: Bybit says it became the country’s largest crypto card issuer within months of launching its card. If GEL₮ launches, it would add a regulated digital lari issued by Tether.

Euro transfers to overseas exchanges still use international wires because Georgia has not joined the Single Euro Payments Area. The NBG applied for membership in 2022. For comparisons with other markets, see our crypto adoption statistics and stablecoin statistics.

How to Buy Bitcoin in Georgia

The simplest route is to buy USDT with a lari card on a registered exchange, then place a Bitcoin limit order on the spot market. A first purchase takes about half an hour with your ID ready.

1. Open a Bybit account on the Georgian site: Register with Bybit and choose Georgia as your country of residence. This places your account on bybitgeorgia.ge.
2. Verify your identity: Submit a Georgian ID card or passport and complete the selfie check. Approval took under an hour for our account.
3. Buy USDT with lari: In One-Click Buy, select GEL and pay using a card in your own name, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Compare the quote with your bank’s dollar rate before confirming.
4. Place a limit order on BTC/USDT: Enter the highest price you are willing to pay on the spot market. An order that waits on the order book avoids the markup in instant-buy quotes. Our Bitcoin price page tracks the live market.
5. Move savings to your own wallet: Transfer coins you intend to hold for months to a wallet whose keys you control. Compare options in our best crypto wallets guide, and send a small test amount first.

Cashing out reverses the process. Sell Bitcoin for USDT, convert it to lari and withdraw to the bank account or card you used to deposit. Every account must be in your own name because exchanges reject third-party payments.

Final Thoughts

Bybit takes first place as the only global exchange on the NBG register, with direct lari purchases through Georgian bank cards. For bank-to-bank P2P purchases, Binance has the most sellers. Cryptal combines free lari transfers with local support, while OKX offers a self-custody wallet. MEXC’s trading fees are the lowest here. Bitget leads on copy trading, but its recent hack needs to be weighed.

The stablecoin rule is already in force, VASP capital requirements take effect in September 2027, and GEL₮ still has no launch date. Some smaller exchange desks may leave the register before then. Check it again before funding an account with a company you have not used.

Try a small deposit and withdrawal before committing a large amount, and retain your exchange statements. For neighboring markets, read our guides to the best crypto exchanges in Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

Our Methodology

We tested each platform from a Georgian resident’s perspective in September, after the NBG announced its capital rules.

• Trust score: Ratings out of 5 account for NBG registration and foreign licenses, security incidents and their resolution, plus how often reserves are reported.
• Registration check: We matched the company in each user agreement against the NBG register file dated 16 September.
• Lari funding in practice: Using Bank of Georgia and TBC accounts, we tested card deposits, bank transfers and P2P purchases. We recorded fees and release times, then compared exchange rates with the NBG’s official dollar rate.
• Cost of buying and selling: Each platform was tested by converting lari to Bitcoin and back. We included deposit and withdrawal charges alongside P2P margins and trading fees.
• Products for Georgian accounts: We counted only features accessible to accounts verified with Georgian documents, including available coins and futures, cards and wallets.
• Local relevance: Assessments considered Georgian-language interfaces and support, cards that settle in lari, and the range of banks accepted by P2P sellers.

The final test transactions took place in late September; Bitget’s were assessed before the breach. We checked regulatory statements against NBG releases and the Ministry of Finance ruling. The full process appears in our editorial methodology.