Anelik Bank faces no problems with liquidity amid national dram hyper-devaluation due to financial support Credit Bank S.A.L.

ArmInfo. Anelik Bank faced no problems with liquidity amid the national dram hyper-devaluation due to the financial support of its owner, Credit Bank S.A.L. (Lebanon), Nerses Karamanukyan, Chairman of Anelik Bank Board, told ArmInfo. "The latest uneasy situation in the financial market of Armenia is characteristic to the countries with transitional economy, but the Central Bank managed to restrain the speculative deals. Anelik Bank like the other Armenians banks could not but feel anxiety over the situation, but it did not affect the normal activity of the bank, which continued to serve its customers on a full scale," Karamanukyan said. He spotlighted the financial assistance by the bank's owner in that difficult period. "Having rich experience of working in instable situation in the Lebanese and Russian financial markets, Credit Bank S.A.L. also consulted Anelik Bank over the situation. This, along with the systematic and reasonable policy of the Central Bank, helped the Bank and the financial market, in general, overcome that destabilization," Karamanukyan said. To note, from Oct through Dec 17 AMD dropped against USD by almost 45. It was hyper devaluation of the national dram. On 17 December, the average rate reached 570 AMD/1 USD, which saw a real panic. Food prices began to grow, as the national currency devaluated. Sugar, flour, and other prices rose drastically. Many food and other stores refused to sell products since they did not know at what price to sell their products. Howeverm on 17 December, the Central Bank toughened the compulsory reservation standards for the raised funds in foreign exchange from 12 to 24 and already on 18-19 December, the dram appreciated by 25. Before that, the CB announced on 8 December that it launches daily interventions to restore the balance in the exchange market and soften currency fluctuations. The interventions will last till the end of 2014. Dec 8-17 the CB sold 42mln: 6mln a day Dec 8-12 and 4mln a day Dec 15-17. On December 18-19, the 4 million daily interventions were not demanded by the banks. Nevertheless, the banks carried out forex deals with each other on 18-19 December (4 million and 5.6 million, respectively). This reduced the interbank rate from 480.12 to 458.01 AMD/1USD. On 1-5 December, the foreign exchange interbank market showed an unprecedented maximum - 59.3 million. Forex transactions on NASDAQ OMX Armenia from June up to 19 December totaled 397.150 million with the exchange rate rising from 407.14 AMD/1 USD to 560 AMD/1 USD and then falling to 442.44 AMD/1 USD. Nearly 117 million of total transactions were made in November. In the period from 1 up to 19 December, transactions were made only trice: on 1 Dec - 3.5 million, on 10 Dec - 100,000 and on 19 December - 450,000, with the exchange rate rising from 438.62 AMD/1 USD to 461 AMD/1 USD and falling to 442.44 AMD/1 USD. In the retail foreign exchange market of Armenia on 20 December the exchange rates (purchase/sale) at the swap points were as follows: 435/465 AMD/1 USD, 525/570 AMD/1 EUR, 7/8.15 AMD/1 RUR. The highest rates at banks on 20 December were as follows: 454/458 AMD/1 USD, 544/565 AMD/1 EUR, and 7.62/7.86 AMD/1 RUR. In October 2013, the majority shareholder of Anelik Bank, Credit Bank S.A.L., Lebanon, became the sole owner of the bank and received the right to Anelik.RU. Since then, retail lending and SME finance have become the Bank's priorities. AnelikRU Moscow branch was alienated in December 2012 and transferred under management of Credit Bank S.A.L.