Trump Tower Tbilisi, on land bought from an Ivanishvili family fund

WHO PAID, WHO GOT WHAT

The Trump Organization licensed its name to the developers; The Wall Street Journal, as reported by JAMnews, said Georgian investors signed the branding agreement with Eric Trump at Mar-a-Lago in May 2026. The Journal reported that the developers bought the site in 2023 from a fund controlled by the family of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian Dream founder whom the U.S. sanctioned in 2024, and, citing Georgian corporate records, that the deal was worth up to $85 million and was completed in July 2026. The Daily Beast, citing the Journal, identified the seller as the Cartu Foundation and reported that Ivanishvili is not officially involved with it and that the family members who run it are not under sanctions.

WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS

The project was launched in Tbilisi on September 15, 2026 at an event attended by Georgian government and ruling-party officials, the president of the National Bank and the prosecutor general. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said it would draw $2 billion in investment, with a 62-floor tower due in 2031 (JAMnews). The Trump Organization announced the tower in April 2026 as 70 stories (Eurasianet).

Archi Group’s founder, Ilia Tsulaia, is a former Georgian Dream member of parliament (Eurasianet). The Journal reported that he joined a 2025 Georgian delegation to Washington seeking better relations with the new administration and discussing sanctions (JAMnews).

The Ledger has not seen the Georgian corporate records or the licensing terms.