ArmInfo. Along with the transition to non-cash payments in Armenia, the network of POS terminals in retail locations is actively expanding.
Thus, 48,415 POS- terminals (including 1,758 virtual vPOS) were used in wholesale and retail locations (supermarkets, shops, markets) by October 1, 2023, with a 2.2-fold y-o-y growth or 26,734 POS-terminals. At the same time, the number of ATMs at these locations is also growing, but at a more restrained pace - by 6% or by 30 pcs, already 548 ATMs. In parallel with this, banks are optimizing both the ATM and POS-terminal networks in their branches (48 ATMs and 85 POS-terminals were dismantled), however, this does not apply to virtual ones-vPOSes, according to the data from the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia.
In general, as of October 1 of this year, there are 79,004 POS-terminals in Armenia, and taking into account vPOSes, 83,273 pcs, of which 703 (including 95 vPOSes ) are installed in head offices and branches of banks. On y-o-y terms, the number of vPOSes increased by 19% or 673 up to 4269 pcs, with a more significant increase in POS-terminals - 2.4-fold or 46,467 pcs, which was also observed a year earlier, when the growth of vPOSes by 19.2% was accompanied by an increase of POS-terminals by 86%.
In Q32023 alone, the number of vPOSes increased by 1% or 35 pcs, with an increase in POS-terminals by 5% or 3535pcs.
As of this date, there are 1,556 ATMs in Armenia, with a y-o-y reduction of 4.4% or 71pcs. Of these, 961 ATMs are installed in Yerevan, and 595 ATMs in the regions, with a y-o-y decrease of both Yerevan and regional ATMs, by 23 and 48 ATMs, respectively, while such an increase was recorded a year ago as well.
In comparison of wholesale and retail locations, there are much fewer ATMs and terminals at: catering/service facilities (hotels, restaurants, cafes, bistros) - 41 ATMs and 7191 POS-terminals, medical service locations (hospitals, dental clinics, pharmacies)- 85 ATM and 4,549 POS-terminals. Moreover, in both cases, the dismantling of individual ATMs was accompanied by a significant increase in the number of POS-terminals by 55-56%. Moreover, the majority of vPOSes - over 41% (or 1758 out of 4269 vPOSes) are used at retail locations.
The Central Bank's report also indicates the number of payment terminals - 11,043 pcs, of which 5,292 are installed in Yerevan and 5,751 in the regions. Moreover, in banks installed 708 pcs alone. Most of them, 10335pcs, have been distributedby payment systems throughout large shopping centers, busy streets of the capital, and in the regions.
According to the Central Bank, by October 1, 2023, there were over 3.578 million cards (with a y-o-y growth of 17.4%), and the volume of plastic transactions (including transactions abroad on cards of Armenian issuing banks) amounted to 4.5 trillion drams for 9 months of this year, (with a y-o-y growth of 49%). Plastic transactions maintained their growth due to the activity of transactions through vPOSes, the share of which in the volume of non-cash transactions is 54% or over 1.2 trillion drams (27.1% 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 38% for 9 months of 2022 to 50.3% for 9 months of 2023 or 2.3 trillion drams, with an acceleration of y-o-y growth in absolute value from 63.3% to 2-fold. And in fact, the dominant share in the total volume of plastic transactions, with a slight advantage, switched to non-cash transactions, and the share of cash decreased from 62% to 49.7%, amounting to 2.2 trillion drams, with a continuing slowdown in the y-o-y growth of the non-cash transactions from 18.8% to 15. 8%.
