ArmInfo.When we talk about salary, we usually focus first and foremost on how much we earn. But have you ever considered that two people with the same income can have significantly different financial situations?

ArmInfo.  Non-cash transactions have been steadily gaining ground in the Armenian plastic card market, increasing to 60.7% of the total by July 2026 (from 55.8% a  year ago), exceeding AMD 2.3 trillion ($6.3 billion) in absolute  terms in the first half of the year. This is evidenced by data from  the Central Bank of Armenia on transactions made in Armenia and  abroad using cards issued by Armenian banks.

ArmInfo.  By July 2026, the Armenian plastic card market will already have 5.5 million cards,  with annual growth accelerating from 15.1% to 20.2%. These are  primarily microprocessor cards with NFC chips - 4.8 million, or 87%  of the total number (versus 83.5% a year ago), with annual growth  remaining at 29%. According to data from the Central Bank of Armenia,  local Arca microprocessor cards with NFC chips have seen significant  annual growth.

ArmInfo.AraratBank continues to enhance its self-service banking solutions, providing customers with a more convenient, faster and more secure way to carry out their transactions.

ArmInfo. Twelve banks have already joined the ArcaPay system, and eight have joined ArcaQR, with the majority participating in both, as stated by Vardan  Khachatryan, Chairman of the Management Board and Executive Director of Armenian Card, during a press conference He noted that banks are  currently in the integration phase for an additional ArcaPay function: B2B services for legal entities.

ArmInfo.The first co-badged Arca-UPI (UnionPay International, China UnionPay) cards will are set to launch  in Armenia within the next one to two months.  Additionally, accelerated efforts are underway to tokenize Arca cards for integration with Google Pay and Apple Pay services, as stated by  Vardan Khachatryan, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Armenian Card, during a press conference. He was responding to a  question from ArmInfo. 

ArmInfo. In the Armenian plastic card market, the launch of a cash-back program in 2026 has boosted the market penetration of Arca cards to 24–25% by June, as  stated Vardan Khachatryan, Chairman of the Board and Executive  Director of Armenian Card, during a press conference. 

ArmInfo. In the Armenian plastic card market, non-cash transactions are increasingly becoming the dominant payment method. By April 2026, their share in the total volume of transactions reached 62%, up from 56% a year earlier. In  absolute terms, this amounted to 1.2 trillion drams ($3.1 billion)  for the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the Central  Bank of Armenia.

ArmInfo. Armenia’s two largest QR payment systems, IdramNet and ArcaQR, are joining forces to enable interoperability between their networks. As a result, Idram users will now be able to make fast and convenient payments by simply scanning ArcaQR codes directly through the Idram&IDBank app.

ArmInfo.  Over the 20-year concession period, South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has invested approximately 30 billion rubles in rolling stock and railway  infrastructure in Armenia. This was stated by Armenian Ambassador to  Russia Sergey Kopyrkin in an interview with 24News, commenting on the  possible transfer of the Russian concession for Armenian railways to  Kazakhstan.

ArmInfo. The 2% cashback program for purchases using ArCA cards, which launched on January 1, 2026, is being successfully implemented. RA Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan announced this in a video address.

ArmInfo.  The relocation of a 5.5-kilometer section of the gas pipeline on the Armenian-Georgian border is not just a technical route adjustment, but a reflection of a deeper problem. Political scientist and Doctor of Political  Sciences Vahe Davtyan told ArmInfo.

ArmInfo.Customers making cashless purchases with AraratBank Arca cards will receive a 2% cashback on the previous month’s cashless transactions starting February.

ArmInfo. Babken Tunyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the ruling Civil Contract faction, denied rumors of a ban on cash payments starting March 1.

ArmInfo.Earn up to 2% cashback with the IDBank Arca Classic card. Every non-cash payment over AMD 1000 earns cashback, up to maximum of AMD 60.000 monthly. The Arca Classic card is designed for safe and fast everyday payments across Armenia.

ArmInfo. In the Armenian plastic card market, cashless transactions have exceeded cash transactions, accounting for 56% of the total volume (compared to  52.3% in 2024, 51% in 2023, and 40% in 2022), totaling 4.2 trillion drams ($11 billion) in absolute terms, according to data from the  Central Bank of Armenia.

ArmInfo.Starting April 1, pensions and benefits in Armenia will be paid exclusively by bank  transfer, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arsen Torosyan reminded at a government meeting on February 19. "We ask all our pensioners and benefit recipients to independently choose a bank and receive a bank card by March 5," Torosyan said.

ArmInfo. Back in 2018, the Armenian government decided to build a Backup Crisis Center for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. However, the established deadlines "were not met for a number of objective and subjective reasons." This is stated in the draft resolution of the Armenian government dated February 19 "On the Contribution of Assets to the Authorized Capital  of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC."

ArmInfo. As of January 1, 2026, Armenian plastic market had over 5 million cards, with the  annual growth decreasing from 16.3% to 15.8%. Meanwhile, microprocessing cards with NFC chips experienced a slowdown in growth from 32% to 25%, totaling 4.3 million, which accounts  85% of the total number of cards, according to data from the Central Bank of  Armenia.

ArmInfo.The Central Bank of Armenia has set maximum commission fee limits for cashless payments made through physical POS terminals: 0.5% for ArCa cards and 0.9% for Visa and MC cards, as noted in a statement issued by the Central Bank of Armenia, which specified that these limits apply to  businesses with an annual turnover of up to 150 million drams.