NEWS

Girchi - More Freedom holds protest demanding adoption of bitcoin as legal tender

Current financial regulations only recognise Georgian lari (GEL) as legal tender. Photo: David Mchedlidze (RFE/RL)

Agenda.ge, 13 Nov 2021 - 16:54, Tbilisi,Georgia

Girchi - More Freedom opposition party members have been selling coffee outside the National Bank of Georgia in USD and cryptocurrency earlier today to protest against the current financial regulations that only recognize Georgian lari (GEL) as legal tender.

The party members blame the National Bank for inflation, and say that the organisation is obliged to stabilise the prices in the country.

National Bank of Georgia: annual inflation will be higher than expected

In addition, Girchi - More Freedom denounces the National Bank's latest decision to start regulating the cryptocurrency.

The Vice President of the National Bank Papuna Lezhava announced earlier that the central bank is planning to regulate the cryptocurrency market in order to combat money laundering.

Girchi - More Freedom party leaders’ cars removed by police during protest near State Security Service offices [VIDEO]

Girchi - More freedom members blocked the State Security Office (SSS) entrances with their cars as a form of protest yesterday, demanding the imprisoned former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili's transfer from prison hospital to a civil clinic, as well as a fully proportional electoral system and snap elections.

Police eventually detained 10 party members, while their leader Zurab Girchi Japaridze got fined.

El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021.

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