SilkBank Georgia adds USDT purchases and transfers directly in its mobile app

A bank in the Republic of Georgia just made buying stablecoins as easy as checking your balance. SilkBank, the country’s first financial institution to offer native crypto trading, has rolled out direct USD₮ (Tether’s USDT) purchasing and transferring within its Silk mobile banking app.

The feature went live on September 21, 2026, and comes with a promotional 0% commission on all USD₮ transactions. No third-party exchanges, no bridge apps, no wallet gymnastics. Just open your banking app, tap, and you own stablecoins.

What SilkBank is actually offering

The new USD₮ integration lets users both buy the stablecoin and transfer it to other users directly within the Silk app. USD₮ joins a roster of digital assets already available on the platform, including BTC, ETH, SOL, BNB, XRP, and GRAM. SilkBank first launched its crypto trading capabilities in 2025, making it the pioneer among Georgian banks in offering customers the ability to buy and sell digital assets straight from their bank accounts.

The zero-fee promotional period is designed to lower the barrier for users who have been curious about crypto but put off by transaction costs. For context, most centralized exchanges charge somewhere between 0.1% and 1.5% on trades, and converting between fiat and stablecoins often involves additional withdrawal or network fees.

Aleksandre Dghebuadze, SilkBank’s Crypto Product Owner, pointed to the growing role stablecoins play in facilitating global transfers. That framing is deliberate. SilkBank isn’t positioning USD₮ as a speculative asset. It’s positioning it as a utility, a way to move dollars across borders without the delays and markups that come with traditional wire transfers.

Georgia’s quiet push into digital assets

In May 2026, Tether announced plans to issue a GEL₮ stablecoin, a token pegged to the Georgian lari with government backing. If that project materializes, Georgia would become one of a small number of countries with both a government-endorsed local stablecoin and commercial banks offering major stablecoin trading.

SilkBank’s Silk app already supports traditional banking services like P2P transfers and payments alongside its digital asset features, bundling conventional and crypto financial services into a single interface.

Why stablecoins in banking apps matter

USD₮ isn’t something most people buy hoping it will moon. They buy it because they need dollar-denominated liquidity, fast cross-border payments, or a hedge against local currency depreciation.

That said, early indicators suggest users aren’t rushing in just yet. There hasn’t been substantial market price or volume movement following the launch, which could mean Georgian consumers are still warming up to the concept of stablecoin trading through their bank.