AraratBank: Supporting SMEs for About 20 Years

ArmInfo. The efficiency of SME lending programs and opportunities for expanding financial access were discussed at a conference jointly organized by the Union of Banks of Armenia and the German-Armenian Fund. The conference titled "SME Financing Opportunities and Prospects," attended by AraratBank representatives, featured panel discussions highlighting success stories, growth of productivity and sustainable development of this sector.

"In 2024, the loan portfolio of Armenia's banking sector amounted to AMD 6.4 trillion, of which about AMD 3.1 trillion were lent to businesses and legal entities, while the volume of loans provided to SMEs was about 52%, totaling AMD 1.6 trillion," noted Daniel Azatyan, Chairman of the Union of Banks of Armenia.

According to Azatyan, in 2024, the outstanding volume of SME lending through the German-Armenian Fund amounted to AMD 174 billion (representing 11% of all loans provided to legal entities), comprising 13,336 loans. Since the program’s inception in 1998, total lending has reached AMD 880.5 billion across 129,490 loans.

"In 2024, AraratBank's SME Lending Division disbursed loans exceeding AMD 12 billion, with over AMD 2 billion provided to female entrepreneurs and more than AMD 1 billion to young entrepreneurs," said Vahe Harutyunyan, Deputy Head of AraratBank's Corporate Business Lending Department.

Since 2007, AraratBank has been offering competitive loan products to SME customers by deploying the best international practices and latest technologies, thus contributing to Armenia's economic development. Moreover, AraratBank has consistently maintained a leading position in SME lending volumes.

Notably, "green" financing constitutes one of AraratBank's strategic priorities, for which the bank comes up with new and attractive solutions contributing to the efforts in this field.