Issue 1, 2013 February-March - Investor.ge

There are several qualitynews sites online that provideGeorgian news in English,Russian, and other languages.But if you crave the news, onradio or television, Investor.ge’sEteri Maisuradze has compiledfor you the times, days, andstation numbers for radio andtelevision news programs inEnglish.Gipa Radio, FM 94.3: Startsbroadcasting NPR at 6am,with hourly broadcasts until 11am. From 11am to noon: BBCbroadcasting. From noon to1:00pm: local news.Radio Maestro, FM 94.7:Five minute English-languagenews broadcast at 11am, witha second ten minute Englishlanguagebroadcast at 7pm.Maestro, www.maestro.ge, channel 241 on Silknet.Ten minute English-languagebroadcast at 7pm.GEOTV, www.georgianews.ge: online television service,providing English-languagenews clips throughout the day.“IDS Borjomi” confirmed the 2012sale of 55.8 percent of the company’sshares to the Russian Alfa Group. Theremaining 53.2 percent of the companyis owned by the Patarkatsishvili family(37.2 percent) and minority stockholders,according to Forbes Magazine.Pasha Bank plans to create a branchin Georgia, located in Tbilisi. Initial authorizedcapital for the bank is 35 millionlari; while over the next two years thebank plans to have assets worth at least$60 million.IFC will provide a loan of $7 millionto Kor Standard Bank to extend termfunding for small and medium enterprises,which are often underserved bycommercial banks. The funds will helpthe bank to increase funding to SMEsin order to support growth, job creation,and to increase the competitiveness ofthe Georgian economy.Funds from the Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB) will be used to financeloans to small- and medium-sized enterprises(SME). In addition to the loan,ADB will provide technical assistance toenhance TBC Bank’s service delivery toits rural SME clients. Since 2007, ADBhas approved more than $1.1 billionin financing operations for Georgia, ofwhich $163 million went towards directfinancing of the private sector.BPI.ge reported that the EurasianDevelopment Bank, together with Turkishand German investors, is planningto build a $250 million metal factory inPoti, the Black Sea port city.The convention center, a $40 millioninvestment developed by Hestok LLC,will be connected to the city center bya gondola lift. It was built by Austriancompany Doppel Meyer and installedby JSC Elektrostroitel.Trend Agency reported that theairline will fly its final Tbilisi-London-Tbilisi flight on March 29. Airline representativesstated that the flights wereunprofitable; British Airlines returned toGeorgia in 2012.