Most lists of the best crypto exchange in Georgia are written for someone in London or Lagos and then relabelled. In Georgia the questions are different. Can I move lari in from TBC or Bank of Georgia without a stranger in between? Is the company on the National Bank’s register? If I sell USDT on Friday evening, how many people are actually buying for lari? This page answers those questions for eight global exchanges, then shows where a local Georgian exchange or exchange office does the job better.
We don’t rank them. The right crypto exchange in Georgia depends on whether you pay with a lari card, a dollar account, cash or P2P, and on what you want to do afterwards. Everything below comes from the exchanges’ own fee pages and public data, the NBG register and live P2P order books.
How we compared crypto exchanges for someone living in Georgia
We looked at six things, in this order, because this is roughly the order in which they cause problems for people here.
1. NBG registration. Since 1 July 2023, anyone providing crypto services in Georgia must be registered with the National Bank of GeorgiaNBGNational Bank of Georgia — the central bank. It supervises banks and, since 2023, crypto service providers (VASPs). as a VASPVASPVirtual Asset Service Provider — a crypto exchange, ATM operator or custodian. In Georgia every VASP must be registered with the National Bank (NBG).. A registered company is supervised for AMLAMLAnti-money-laundering rules. They are why an exchange or bank may ask where your money came from., has a local legal entity and must display its registration. A foreign exchange that is not on the register can still accept you from abroad, but there is no Georgian supervisor behind it. The full picture is on our page about licensed crypto exchanges in Georgia.
2. GEL rails. Can lari reach the exchange directly from a Georgian bank, or only through P2PP2PPeer-to-peer: you buy crypto from another person and pay them directly (e.g. by TBC or Bank of Georgia transfer) while the platform holds their coins in escrow., or not at all? Direct rails mean no counterparty risk and no bank asking why a stranger sent you 3,000 GEL.
3. P2P depth in lari. Where there’s no direct rail, P2P is the bridge. We counted live USDT/GEL ads on each exchange and noted which Georgian banks the sellers accept.
4. Card support. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere, but no global exchange we checked charges a card in lari. A GEL card means your bank converts to USD or EUR first.
5. Fees. We used published base-tier spot fees (maker/takerMaker / taker feeMakers place orders that wait in the book; takers fill existing orders instantly. Takers usually pay slightly more.) and published card and withdrawal fees. Where an exchange doesn’t publish a number, we say so instead of guessing.
6. Coin coverage. It matters if you want something specific: Pi Network (PI), for example, is listed on OKX, Kraken and Bitget.
Crypto exchanges in Georgia side by side
The table below is the same fixed comparison used across the site. The order is not a ranking, and every row is presented the same way. Click through to a review where we have one.
Two things stand out. First, only Bybit and WhiteBIT carry an NBG registration number. Second, only WhiteBIT moves lari in and out through Georgian banks directly; everyone else either uses P2P for lari or skips the lari entirely and charges your card in dollars or euros.
Lari P2P depth: what the order books actually show
P2P liquidity is the honest test of a crypto exchange in Georgia. We queried each exchange’s public P2P data for USDT against GEL in one sitting. Counts are a single snapshot and some lists are page-capped, so treat them as an indication of depth, not a total.
| Exchange | Ads to buy USDT | Ads to sell USDT | Georgian banks seen in ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 112 | 138 | BoG, TBC, Liberty, Credo, Fastoo |
| Bybit | 117 | 218 | TBC, BoG, Liberty, Credo |
| OKX | 30 | 113 | BoG, TBC, Liberty, Credo, Cartu, Paysera |
| Bitget | 5 | 17 | BoG, TBC, Credo, Liberty, Basis |
| KuCoin | 1 | 16 | TBC, BoG, Liberty; buy side Credo only |
Quotes on Binance, Bybit and OKX clustered at about 2.58–2.60 GEL per USDT in the same snapshot. Binance publishes the longest list of accepted Georgian payment methods (Bank of Georgia, TBC, Liberty, BasisBank, Credo, Terabank, Hashbank, Denizbank and the Fastoo wallet), while OKX is the only one where we saw Cartu Bank and Paysera. Bitget’s data didn’t make clear which side is which, so read its two numbers as “small” and “smaller”. On KuCoin and Bitget, a single slow seller can leave you waiting. How P2P works, how to pick a counterparty and how to avoid a reversed payment is covered in our P2P trading guide.
Exchange by exchange: what matters if you live here
CEX.IO
CEX.IO has operated since 2013 and is a card-and-SWIFT on-rampOn-rampAny way of turning fiat into crypto: a card purchase, a bank transfer to an exchange, an ATM., not a lari venue. It accepts Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay from 20 USD, EUR or GBP, so a Georgian lari card is charged in one of those currencies after your bank’s conversion. There is no GEL wallet and no P2P marketplace. Its US entity holds money-transmitter licences (NMLS 1804170) and its UK entity is registered with the FCA for anti-money-laundering purposes (FRN 1007192); it is not on the NBG register. Georgia is not on its list of unsupported countries.
What’s useful for people here: the payout side is published. Card withdrawals cost 0.49–4.99% plus a service charge, SWIFT withdrawals 0.3% + 25 USD (minimum 50 USD). New accounts are capped at 1,000 USD a day and 3,000 USD a month for the first three months after verification. The full breakdown, including which entity is likely to serve Georgian residents, is in our CEX.IO review.
Bybit
Bybit is the global brand with the deepest Georgian footprint. Bybit Georgia Limited is registered with the NBG as 0019-9404 (24 October 2024), with its office at Kostava Street 14 in Tbilisi. It provides liquidity and execution for the crypto trading TBC Bank added to its mobile app in May 2026 (about 30 assets, from 1 USD). A Bybit Card on Mastercard, built with Pave Bank, launched for Georgian residents on 28 January 2026.
In our snapshot Bybit had the most sell-side GEL ads (218), with TBC and Bank of Georgia dominating. Base spot fees are 0.1% maker and 0.1% taker. What we could not confirm from an official page: whether new Georgian users are onboarded to the Georgian entity or to Bybit’s global company, and the current state of direct GEL deposits. Details in our Bybit Georgia review.
WhiteBIT
Whitebit Georgia LLC was the first global brand on the NBG register: 0007-9404, from 11 April 2024, with an office on Leonidze Street in Tbilisi. Its public fee data lists direct lari rails through TBC Bank (deposit 5–70,000 GEL, withdrawal 10–60,000) and Hashbank (deposit 1–100,000, withdrawal 10–100,000), both with no fixed fee. It is also one of five exchanges you can top up in cash at PayBox terminals.
Spot fees are 0.1% maker and taker across about 800 markets. Card deposits in USD or EUR cost 3.5%. We found no GEL spot market, so how lari converts to crypto inside the platform is something to check in the app before depositing a large sum. See our WhiteBIT review.
Binance
Binance is not on the NBG register. Its main licence relevant to the region is in Dubai (VARA, Binance FZE), and no Binance entity appears on the EU MiCA register. For lari it relies entirely on P2P, where it publishes nine named Georgian banks and wallets. One merchant ad in our snapshot accepted up to 260,000 GEL per order.
Base spot fees are 0.1% maker and taker, or 0.075% if you pay fees in BNB. Binance’s own terms pages did not load for us, so Georgia’s status in its terms rests on secondary sources, which do not list Georgia as restricted. Our Binance review covers what that means in practice.
OKX
OKX is not registered with the NBG; it holds a MiCA licence in Malta and a VARA licence in Dubai. Users outside its regional entities contract with a Seychelles company, which is most likely where Georgian residents land (our inference). Georgia is not on its restricted list.
OKX has the lowest base maker fee in this group: 0.08% maker, 0.10% taker. Its GEL P2P book had 113 sell-side ads in our snapshot and is the only one with Cartu Bank and Paysera. It also lists Pi Network, which matters if you’re trying to sell Pi coin for lari. See our OKX review.
Kraken
Kraken does not list Georgia among restricted countries and has no lari support at all. The realistic route from a Georgian bank is a USD, EUR, GBP or CHF SWIFT transfer; a USD SWIFT deposit via Bank Frick costs 3 USD. Debit card deposits cost 0.25 USD + 3.75%, and card deposits trigger a 72-hour withdrawal hold.
Kraken Pro starts at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, and the simple app charges 1–1.5% plus spreadSpreadThe gap between the buy and sell price. A desk that buys USDT at 2.57 GEL and sells at 2.62 GEL earns a 0.05 GEL spread on each coin.. It lists PI. It suits someone who already holds dollars or euros in a Georgian account and wants a heavily regulated platform; it does not help with lari.
KuCoin
KuCoin holds a MiCA licence in Austria and is not on the NBG register. Its terms list restricted countries (including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) but not Georgia, and the agreement is governed by Turks and Caicos law.
The lari side is thin: in our snapshot, 16 sell-side ads and one ad to buy USDT, which accepted only Credo Bank. Spot fees start at 0.1% maker and taker but rise for some coin classes. KuCoin is a reasonable place to trade coins you’ve already bought elsewhere; as a GEL on-rampOn-rampAny way of turning fiat into crypto: a card purchase, a bank transfer to an exchange, an ATM. it is weak. More in our KuCoin review.
Bitget
Bitget is not on the NBG, MiCA or VARA registers; its terms are with BTG Technology Holdings under Hong Kong law, and Georgia is not on its prohibited list. Base spot fees are 0.1% maker and taker, 20% cheaper if you pay in BGB. It lists PI.
GEL P2P exists but is small: 5 ads on one side and 17 on the other in our snapshot, mostly Bank of Georgia and TBC, with a few Credo, Liberty and Basis Bank sellers.
Prefer to pay by Visa, Mastercard or Apple Pay and skip P2P entirely?CEX.IO accepts cards from 20 USD; a lari card is converted by your bank.
Open an accountLocal exchanges, kiosks and exchange offices
The NBG register lists 43 VASPs, and most of them are Georgian companies, not global brands. For many everyday tasks they are simpler than any global exchange.
Online local exchanges. Cryptal (0002-9404) takes lari cards from Bank of Georgia and TBC at 2%, Apple Pay and Google Pay at 2%, and BOG Pay and TBC Pay top-ups free. It issues its own TOGEL, TOUSD and TOEUR tokens redeemable 1:1, which is how it handles fiat balances. Other online players include Mycoins, Coinmania and Bitnet.
Cash in a terminal. PayBox lists five registered exchanges you can top up from its 8,000+ terminals: Cryptal, Coinmania, WhiteBIT, CityPay and Bitanica. Our page on buying crypto with cash walks through it.
Exchange offices. Alltrust.me (0010-9404) has offices in Tbilisi and branches in Adjara and Kvemo Kartli; Digital Currency operates six points in Adjara; PLEX has offices in Batumi and Tbilisi. Offices usually build their fee into the rate and ask for a passport and selfie. For larger sums and USDT-to-cash conversions, see our OTC and exchange office guide.
ATMs. Cryptomat (0005-9404) lists roughly 150 locations across seven cities; about ten of them also buy crypto back for cash. See our crypto ATM guide.
The full, searchable register with registration numbers is on our page on licensed crypto exchanges in Georgia.
Exchanges that don’t serve Georgia
Some names come up in global “best exchange” lists but don’t work here, or don’t work fully:
- Luno serves personal accounts only in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Malaysia and Indonesia, and its help centre says an account can’t be used from an unsupported country even if it was opened elsewhere.
- Gemini doesn’t list Georgia the country anywhere in its areas of availability. The “Georgia” page on its site is the US state. It has also withdrawn from the UK, the EEA and Australia.
- Coinbase had lari trading pairs in 2022, until a decimal-point error on GEL pairs let about 900 users withdraw far more than their balances. Its current status for Georgia we couldn’t confirm, because its official pages were inaccessible to us.
- Crypto.com is split: its app and web platform are open to Georgia and it offers USD SWIFT accounts to Georgian residents, but its Pay On-ramp card checkout excludes Georgia.
Withdrawals: how each crypto exchange pays you back in Georgia
The six criteria above are mostly about getting in. The way out deserves the same attention, because that’s where a cryptocurrency exchange either fits your Georgian bank or doesn’t. Before you deposit anything, check how the platform will turn coins back into money you can spend here: lari in a Georgian account, dollars or euros on a card, or a bank wire.
| Exchange | Lari to a Georgian bank | Card or wire payout |
|---|---|---|
| WhiteBIT | Direct: TBC Bank 10–60,000 GEL, Hashbank 10–100,000 GEL, no fixed fee | USD card 2% + 2; EUR card 2.25% + 2 |
| Binance, Bybit, OKX | P2P only: 138, 218 and 113 sell ads | Payout to Georgian cards not confirmed |
| KuCoin, Bitget | Small P2P books, under 20 ads each | Payout to Georgian cards not confirmed |
| CEX.IO | None, no GEL wallet | Visa 0.49–4.99% + service charge; SWIFT 0.3% + $25 (min $50) |
| Kraken | None, no lari support | SWIFT; no card payout found |
Direct rails. WhiteBIT is the only one of the eight where we found lari going straight back to a Georgian bank, according to its public fee data. A TBC withdrawal tops out at 60,000 GEL and a Hashbank one at 100,000 GEL. What we couldn’t confirm is the rate at which USDT becomes GEL inside the account, because there’s no public USDT/GEL market; compare the in-app quote with the NBG dollar rate before a large sale.
P2P exits. On Binance, Bybit and OKX you sell USDT to another user who pays you by bank transfer. The depth is real, but every sale is a transfer from a stranger into your account, which is the pattern Georgian banks are most likely to query. Our page on how banks treat crypto money explains what to keep ready. Release escrow only once the lari shows in your own banking app.
Card and wire exits. CEX.IO publishes Visa payouts and SWIFT withdrawals; whether Visa payouts reach Georgian-issued cards we couldn’t verify. Kraken’s realistic exit is a SWIFT transfer in dollars or euros, and if you funded by card, withdrawals are held for 72 hours. Either way the money lands in USD or EUR, so a lari account means a second conversion by your bank. MoonPay, which isn’t in our table, lists Georgia for Visa Direct payouts at 4.5%.
Spending instead of withdrawing. Bybit’s answer for Georgian residents is a card rather than a payout: the Bybit Card on Mastercard, issued with Pave Bank. Its fees and settlement currency weren’t disclosed when we checked. Our guide to crypto cards in Georgia covers it alongside the Hash Bank card.
If the exit is what decides it for you, our guide on how to cash out crypto in Georgia compares these routes with registered exchange offices and the Cryptomat machines that buy crypto back.
Which exchange fits which situation
Instead of a ranking, here is how the options line up against what people in Georgia typically want to do.
You want lari in and out through your own bank, no strangers involved. WhiteBIT’s TBC and Hashbank rails, the crypto section in the TBC app (executed by Bybit Georgia), or a local exchange like Cryptal.
You want an NBG-registered company. Bybit Georgia or WhiteBIT among global brands, or any of the 43 entities on the register.
You have a card in USD or EUR, or you’re a visitor with a foreign card. CEX.IO (Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay) or Kraken (debit card, SWIFT). Our guide to buying crypto with a card compares card costs.
You’re selling a large amount of USDT for lari. P2P on Bybit, Binance or OKX has the depth; for cash, an exchange office. Our guide to cashing out crypto covers both.
You need a specific coin like PI. OKX, Kraken or Bitget list it.
Before you open an exchange account
Decide how money goes in and out
Write down how you’ll fund the account (lari bank transfer, USD card, cash, P2P) and how you’ll get money back out. Pick the exchange that supports both ends, not just the buying side.
Check registration and the legal entity
Look up the company on the NBG register, or read the exchange’s legal page to see which entity you contract with and under which law. For foreign platforms, this tells you where a complaint would go.
Prepare documents for verification
Every exchange here requires KYCKYCKnow Your Customer: identity checks (passport, selfie, sometimes proof of address) that licensed services must run before you trade.: a passport or Georgian ID, a selfie and often proof of address. For larger sums, expect source-of-fundsSource of fundsDocuments showing where money came from (salary, sale of property, exchange statements). Georgian banks may ask for them on large crypto-related transfers. questions.
Test with a small amount first
Send a small deposit and make a small withdrawal back to your bank or card before moving serious money. It reveals fees, FX conversion and timing you won’t see in a fee table.
Selling crypto as an individual in Georgia is generally taxed at 0% because the income isn’t treated as Georgian-source, but there are caveats for businesses and residents with other income; see our crypto tax guide. If you’re new to all of this, start with how to buy crypto in Georgia, and keep what you buy in a wallet you control; our wallet guide explains the options.
