Virtual Assets and Legal Tender
The legal boundaries of settlement in cryptocurrency in Georgia are established by the Organic Law of Georgia on the National Bank of Georgia. The first part of Article 39-1 of the law defines the status fundamentally: a virtual asset does not constitute legal tender. This proposition determines the entire subsequent regulatory logic — a virtual asset performs no monetary function on behalf of the state.
The second part of the same article regulates the prohibition: it is prohibited to carry out payments in virtual assets, except for those cases determined by a legal act of the National Bank of Georgia which are necessary for the provision of virtual asset services. In other words, the general rule is a prohibition, and only the exceptions defined by the National Bank — those necessary for the provision of services — are permitted.