TBC Georgia launches crypto trading in banking app

TBC Georgia has launched cryptocurrency trading in its digital banking app, giving retail customers access to 30 cryptocurrencies.

The move expands the bank's retail brokerage platform, where monthly active users have risen 42% since the start of 2026.

Customers can buy and sell digital assets within the main TBC banking app instead of using a separate platform. The service includes one-click onboarding and is offered through a partnership with crypto exchange Bybit.

Bybit Georgia, which is licensed in the local market, provides the underlying crypto infrastructure, including liquidity and transaction execution. TBC is keeping the customer journey within its own digital banking environment.

The launch adds crypto to a broader investment offering for retail users in Georgia, where banks and financial technology groups have been expanding digital services. For TBC, it also creates another way for customers to manage savings and investments in the same app they use for day-to-day banking.

Georgia's financial sector has seen growing interest in digital assets, though access has often depended on specialist exchanges rather than mainstream banks. By bringing crypto trading into a banking app, TBC is testing whether regulated financial groups can attract a wider base of retail investors to the market.

TBC Georgia is part of TBC Bank Group, the London-listed financial services group operating in Georgia and Uzbekistan. It serves 7.2 million digital monthly active users across the two markets.

Its Georgian business remains the core banking franchise, spanning retail, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and corporate and investment banking. In Uzbekistan, the group has been building a fully digital financial services business and has more than 24 million registered users and more than 6 million monthly active users.

The addition of crypto trading reflects a wider pattern among banks seeking to broaden digital investment products as customers look for easier access to a range of assets. Traditional lenders have generally moved cautiously because of regulatory scrutiny, operational demands and the volatility associated with cryptocurrencies.

For TBC, the timing also reflects strong use of its investment platform. The rise in monthly active users points to growing demand among retail customers for app-based access to financial markets, pushing banks to offer more than deposits, payments and lending.

Recent industry recognition has also raised the profile of the bank's digital strategy. TBC was named Most Innovative Bank in Central and Eastern Europe by Global Finance and also received a regional best bank award in The Banker's technology awards.

Chief Executive Officer George Tkhelidze said the launch builds on the bank's earlier digital expansion.

"At TBC Bank, we have a long history of being the country's first movers in digital innovation, pioneering the introduction of both online banking and mobile banking in the market. Today, we are extending our digital investment offering to cryptocurrency, as digital assets continue to become more integrated into the global financial ecosystem. This move further strengthens our retail offering as we build a best-in-class digital ecosystem, enabling customers to handle all their financial needs quickly, easily and conveniently through our mobile app," he said.