Thursday, August 12 2010 16:36
Armenian commercial banks actively develop plastic card business
ArmInfo. The number of plastic cards issued by ArCa member-banks for Jan-Jul 2010 grew 13.7% to 512.8 thousand cards as of August 1 2010. This indicator outstripped the one for the same period of 2009 - 27.2%.
Armenian Card told ArmInfo that banks issued 16951 cards for July 2010 which is by 1884 cards less than in June. The share of ArCa cards in total as of August 1 2010 was 58% or 296.7 thousand cards (up 6.1% versus early 2010), Visa International - 25.5% or 130.6 thousand drams (up 17%), and MasterCard - 17% or 85.5 thousand cards (43.5%).
In average in July 340.9 thousand cards (66.5% of total active cards) were used to carry out various bank operations.
By data of Armenian Card as of August 1 the number of the Armenian Card trade/service points and cash dispensers (exclusive of ATMs) totaled 2510, including 317 cash dispensing points. The number of POS- terminals in the given trade/service points totaled 2880, including 407 cash dispensing points. 2781 of total POS-terminals served ArCa plastic cards, 1769 - Visa International and 2463 MasterCard. In July the number of trade/service and cash dispensing points grew by 52 versus June. The number of POS-terminals grew by 56. As of August 1 2010 the number of ATMs in Armenia totaled 631, which is by 179 ATMs more than for early 2010. Central Bank of Armenia holds 66% of shares in Armenian Card and 17 ArCa member-banks holds by 2%.