The concentration of assets of the five leading banks amounted to  55.3%

ArmInfo.  In the banking system of Armenia, the concentration of assets among the top five increased over 2013-2018 from 47.7% to 55.3%, although it decreased compared to  2017 by 0.1%.  Among the main assets are Ameriabank, Ardshinbank,  Armbusinessbank, ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank and INECOBANK.

According to the Financial Ratings of Banks of Armenia, as of January  1, 2019 prepared by the ArmInfo Information Company, among the listed  banks, the first four are leading in terms of credit investments, and  the top five are closed by VTB Bank (Armenia), whose total share in  the total market value is 57,  5% of the total loan portfolio.

In 2013, the share of the top five in terms of loan investments was  49.7% - this is VTB Bank (Armenia), ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank,  Ardshinbank, Ameriabank and HSBC Bank Armenia.  From 2014, the first  two positions on loan investments have been held by Ameriabank and  Ardshinbank, since 2016, the 3rd position has been established for  Armbiznesbank, and since 2017, ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank has held the  4th position.

In terms of loans to the economy, the top five are Ameriabank,  Armbusinessbank, Ardshinbank, INECOBANK and Converse Bank, with a  total market share of 64.6% against 52.6% of the top five in 2013.   For retail loans, TOP-5 includes ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank,  Ardshinbank, VTB Bank (Armenia), Ameriabank and Unibank, whose total  share in the total market value was 56.8% (against 56.5% of the top  five in 2013).

The total assets of the banking system by January 1, 2019 reached  4.96 trillion drams ($ 10.3 billion), and credit investments - 3.3  trillion drams ($ 6.7 billion).  The volume of corporate loans as of  this date amounted to 2.1 trillion drams ($ 4.3 billion), and retail  loans - 1.1 trillion drams ($ 2.3 billion).  In annual terms, assets  accelerated growth from 6.4% to 14%, credit investments - from 8.8%  to 13.8%.  In particular, the dynamics of corporate lending unfolded  from a 1% recession to 8.8% growth, while accelerating the growth of  retail lending from 16.7% to 31.5%.  Note that in 2013, there were 21   banks in Armenia, but by 2017 their number had decreased to 17. In  particular, at the end of 2015, ProCredit Bank Armenia and BTA Bank  withdrew from the market, merging with INECOBANK and Armeconombank,  respectively, and in December   2016 Areximbank-GPB Group and  Armenian Development Bank merged with Ardshinbank and Araratbank. 

This was due to the need to fulfill the tightened requirement of the  Central Bank of Armenia on the minimum amount of total capital for  banks of 30 billion drams, which will come into force on January 1,  2017 (against the 5 billion drams currently in effect).