ArmInfo.It is very important for the Armenian economy to develop the adaptive capacities of the business sector in the new situation. Arsen Melkonyan, Deputy CEO at ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank for Business Operations, expressed this opinion.
"For example, flexibility is needed in terms of the possibilities of transforming a business into a digital space. We, in turn, as before, are ready to move forward with our partners step by step or in big leaps. ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank has proved more than once that from the first day of the crisis, we have intensively reacted and, most importantly, demonstrated a personalized approach to the problems faced by all our partners. We used a wide range of tools, provided a credit leave, canceled payments of different types, drew up new schedules of prolonged repayment. At this stage, the lowest possible interest rates on loans were involved, given that in the current situation it is necessary to confront the crisis hand in hand, manage risks together and, if there are certain difficulties, distribute them between us and our partners to jointly overcome problems ", he remarked.
A. Melkonyan, noting that since the beginning of 2020, the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic have established new rules for business, stressed: "In many cases, the difficulties that have arisen can become the beginning of a new start and new opportunities for business."
"Initially, we faced certain confusion, which, I think, was related to a lack of information. The crisis took businesses by surprise, but after a while the adaptation phase began. During this crisis, the key foundations and tools for ensuring normal functioning of business were highlighted and identified: the organization of remote working, new safety rules, the establishment of other rules of conduct for the precise organization of the work process, etc. All this helped to a certain extent to stabilize the situation, "he said.
According to him, in this situation, economic entities can be conditionally divided into three groups. The first large group includes those enterprises that are not working now. For example, those hotels whose activities are mainly related to external tourism. At this stage, it is unrealistic to expect them to be active. The second group includes enterprises and businesses that, in comparison with the previous indicators, have a certain decline, but in the current situation, the sustained activity allows them to provide a certain stability. And the third group consists of business entities that were not affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and even provided some growth. We are talking about enterprises that have not faced difficulties in marketing, and even now do not face difficulties in this regard. Moreover, the latter even recorded growth, and there are very good chances for further development. He believes that government support programs played a key role in stabilizing the situation. "But it is important to emphasize that these plans were not a lifeline of last hope. By and large, all companies have suffered from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, and we see these programs as a good opportunity for business growth and development, and lending on very good terms - 0 % interest rate, which would be impossible under normal conditions. Business entities should try to perceive this opportunity not from the position of the affected party, but as a chance given by these programs for a new round of development and re-profiling, "he concluded.
