Monday, November 14 2022 12:22

ArmInfo.Double-digit growth in the number of virtual vPOS in Armenia continues along with regular POS terminals( A point-of-sale (POS) terminals) . In Q3 2022,  compared to the same period in 2021, the number of vPOS increased by  19.2% or 579 pcs (up to 3596 pcs), with the growth of regular  POS  terminals by 86% or 15053 pcs, while a year earlier the growth of  both vPOS and regular POS terminals was almost the same - 30% and 37%  respectively.

And in Q3 2022 alone, the number of vPOSs grew by 3.5%,  while the number of conventional POS terminals grew by 41.4%.This is  evidenced by the data of the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia,  according to which the share of vPOSs in the total number of POS  terminals already exceeds 11%.  As of October 1, 2022, there were  32,538 POS terminals in Armenia, including 36,134 virtual POS  terminals (vPOS), of which 788 (including 95 virtual ones) are  installed in the head offices and branches of banks.

In particular, 37 regular POS terminals were dismantled year-on-year  in the head offices and branches of banks, but 17 virtual POS  terminals were used instead, and most of these changes took place in  the current year: the decrease in the number of POS terminals by 21  with the increase of vPOS terminals by 15 over 9 months.  Meanwhile,  regular POS terminals have been installed more actively rather than  virtual terminals were used in wholesale and retail outlets,  food/service facilities and medical centers, and it is in these  places that most of the POS terminals are installed- both regular POS  terminals (27,256 pcs) and virtual POS terminals (1,997 pcs).

There were 1627 ATMs on this date with a y-o-y growth of 3.8% or 60  pcs. Of these, 984 pcs are installed in the capital, and 643 pcs in  the regions, with a y-o-y increase in both capital and regional ATMs,  respectively, by 27 pcs and 33 pcs.  The Central Bank's publication  of data on the ATMs and POS-terminals installed in trade/service  points resumed after a seven-year break (since 2015) reveals the  following picture:  518 ATMs and 21681 POS- terminals were installed  at wholesale and retail outlets (supermarkets, shops, markets), 45  ATMs and 4648 POS-terminals were installed at catering / service  facilities (hotels, restaurants, cafes, bistros), 87 ATMs and 2924  POS terminals at medical care centers (hospitals, dental clinics,  pharmacies) . Moreover, the majority of VPOS terminals - over 53% (or  1908 pcs out of 3596 vPOS-s) are used in facilities of sale and  catering / services.

The Central Bank also began to indicate the number of payment  terminals - 9864 pcs, of which 4742 pcs are installed in the capital,  and 5122 pcs - in the regions. Moreover, 629 pcs alone are installed  in banks.  Most of them, 9235 pieces, were distributed through  payment systems in large shopping centers, on the streets of the  capital and regions.  - According to the Central Bank, by October 1,  2022, there were 3.048 million cards (with a y-o-y growth of 16.3%),  and the volume of plastic transactions (including transactions abroad  with cards of Armenian issuing banks) for 9 months of 2022 amounted  to 3.02 trillion drams (with y-o-y growth of 33.1%). Plastic  transactions kept growing due to the activity of transactions through  virtual POS terminals (vPOS), the share of which in the volume of  non-cash transactions reached 56% or 637.9 billion drams (21.1% in  the total volume of plastic transactions). This, in turn, increased  the share of the volume of non-cash transactions in the total volume  of plastic transactions from 31% in 9 months of 2021 to 38% in 9  months of 2022, or 1.148 trillion drams, while accelerating the y-o-y  growth in absolute value from 27.4% to 63.3%. However, the total  volume of plastic transactions is dominated by cash transactions -  62% or 1.9 trillion drams, of which 96% were carried out through  ATMs, and the slowdown in the y-o-y growth in the volume of cash  transactions to 18.8% was accompanied by the same slowdown in the  growth of ATM transactions to 18.2 %