Part of Georgia’s real estate sector believes the National Bank of Georgia should further ease mortgage lending regulations. Beso Ortoidze, CEO of Arsi, said the growing use of developer-financed installment plans in recent years was largely driven by tighter bank lending rules.
According to Ortoidze, restrictions on mortgage lending forced developers to create alternative financing products for customers who found it harder to obtain bank loans. He said this has created potential risks in the real estate market and should be addressed by making mortgage financing more accessible.
Ortoidze said banks are ready to increase mortgage lending again if the NBG provides certain regulatory relief. In his view, long-term installment financing by developers should eventually end, with banks once again playing the primary role in financing residential property purchases.
The NBG has already eased some mortgage rules. Since February 2025, the minimum down payment for mortgage loans issued in Georgian lari has been reduced from 15% to 10%.
