ArmInfo. The customer base of Armenia's banking system totaled 2,364,116 individuals and 79,823 legal entities by October 2017. According to the Central Bank data, provided to ArmInfo by the National Statistical Service, a total of 2,443,939 customers had 4,481,182 accounts with Armenian banks, of which 4,316,133 are physical accounts and 165,043 are accounts of legal entities.

ArmInfo. The reduction in  interest rates has created new opportunities in terms of the  development of the corporate bond market. Answering the question of  ArmInfo during an online conference on the theme "Tendencies of  interest rate changes", which was online broadcast on the official  page of Ameriabank in Facebook, Retail Banking Director Arman  Barseghyan said.

ArmInfo. Starting from November 27, 2017, nominal coupon bonds issued by “ARARATBANK” OJSC have been listed on NASDAQ OMX Armenia and included in the bonds' secondary Bbond list.   

ArmInfo. Converse Bank completed the placement of the second tranche of dollar coupon bonds in the amount of $ 4 million before the scheduled date on November 27, thereby summarizing the issue of the first issue with a total volume of $ 10 million. As ArmInfo was told in the press service of the Bank, the initial placement of the second tranche of dollar bonds started on October 19 . On the first tranche of the dollar issue, the primary placement started on May 5 this year. and ended on May 16, and on May 26, the entry into the listing list was held.

ArmInfo. On November 10, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia registered changes made in the agreements between Amundi-ACBA-Asset Management and Central Depository of Armenia.

ArmInfo. The banking system  of Armenia in January- September 2017 sent 31.7 billion drams to the  state treasury, which is 13.6% higher than the figure of a year ago.  Of this amount, over 89.3% or 28.3 billion drams was paid for direct  taxes (including income tax and income tax), with an annual growth of  12.8%. According to the RA State Revenue Committee, in the first  hundred of the largest taxpayers of Armenia in the first 9 months of  2017, out of 17 operating banks, 12 (12 out of 19 of those operating  in the same period in 2016) fell. Among them in the top five banks of  taxpayers - Ardshinbank, ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank, VTB Bank  (Armenia), Ameriabank and Armbusinessbank, which figured in the top  five and a year earlier. Over the first 9 months of 2017, the top  five banks sent 16.5 billion drams to the state treasury (annual  growth of 18.7%), of which 15.1 billion drams - on direct taxes  (annual growth of 18.9%).

ArmInfo. Commercial banks of  Armenia have already accumulated $ 180 million to implement projects  in the field of renewable energy, but they are not fully used. On  November 8, the national expert of the EU4Energy project of the  Energy Charter Astghine Pasoyan told the ArmInfo news agency on the  margins of the forum that opened in Yerevan on the potential of  Armenia in the energy sector. The forum is organized by the Ministry  of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources of the Republic of  Armenia, the delegation of the European Union in Armenia and the  Energy Charter.

ArmInfo. For the participants of the  Defined Contribution Pension System (DCPS), the determining factor in determining the amount of the pension will not be the number of years of working experience, but the amount of the accumulated amount. As the press service of the pension system (PS) told ArmInfo, nevertheless, for some participants of the new system, work experience will be taken into account in the future.

ArmInfo.The first issue of USD  bank ACBA-Credit Agricole bonds in the amount of $ 5 million was  listed on the stock exchange NasdaqOMX Armenia and is included in the  main list Abond. As the press service of the exchange told ArmInfo,  this issue of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank is allowed to enter into  targeted trading and repo deals. The bonds of this issue (ISIN -  AMACBAB21ER0) will be quoted under the exchange code ACBAB1.

ArmInfo. Converse Bank, by placing the second tranche of USD coupon bonds in the amount of $ 4 million, completes the issue of the first issue with a total volume of $ 10 million. As the press service of the Bank told ArmInfo, the initial placement of the second tranche of USD bonds started on October 19. On the first tranche of the USD issue, the primary placement started on May 5 this year and ended on May 16, and on May 26, the entry into the listing list was held.

ArmInfo. On October 17, the nominal coupon bonds of Ameriabank  of the seventh issue in the amount of 3 million euros were listed on  the Nasdaq OMX Armeina stock exchange, entered the main exchange list  (Abond), and were admitted to conclusion of targeted trading and sale  repurchase  deals.

ArmInfo.  The Armenian bond  market will become more active due to the increase in the number of  issuers and tranches. "Even in the banking system of Armenia, the  potential has not been fully utilized," the representative of the  NasDaq OMX Armenia stock exchange, Karen Zakaryan, said in an  interview with ArmInfo correspondent.

ArmInfo. Ardshinbank became a participant in the securities registration system of the Central Depository of Armenia (CDA) with the status of the operator of the depository system account. About it ArmInfo was informed in the press service of the stock exchange NasDaq OMX Armenia.  From now on, the clients of the bank will be able to access the services of the CDA, in particular the maintenance of the register of joint-stock companies and all services related to the storage of securities.  Thus, Ardshinbank became the 17th operator of the Depository System.

ArmInfo. The RA Ministry of  Agriculture as of September 19 received 16 applications for 1.606  billion AMD for participation in the state program of subsidizing  loans to processing enterprises for agricultural production.

ArmInfo. The Armenian government in its new and already approved program of own activities for upcoming  5-year term,  based on indicative results of 2018 recorded a two-fold increase in insured transactions of  "Export Insurance Agency of Armenia" ICJSC- almost up to 4.5 billion AMD. At the same time, as of August 31, 2017, the insurance portfolio of the Agency already amounted AMD  2.594 . Armen Shahnazaryan,  the Executive Director of the EIAA ICJSC, spoke in an exclusive interview about the Agency's achievements and tasks, plans and reality.

ArmInfo. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received a delegation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) led by the president of the bank Suma Chakrabarty.

ArmInfo. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) provided 2 loans to ARARATBANK in national currency, the total amount of which is equivalent to $ 10 million. The signing of the respective loan agreement between ARARATBANK and EBRD took place on September 4. The program, in addition to funding, also provides for the final beneficiaries technical support, counseling, assistance in risk management and professional retraining of women entrepreneurs.  Executive Director of ARARATBANK Ashot Osipyan noted that loans will be provided at an interest rate of 11% per annum with a maturity of up to 5 years. These funds, he said, will allow the bank to meet the growing demand for financing from the side of women entrepreneurs and representatives of micro, small and medium-sized businesses that have developed activities in rural areas.

ArmInfo. The replenishment of  Armenian banks' capital base by 15% per annum on July 1, 2017, or by  85.1 billion drams ($ 177.1 million) made it possible to accelerate  the credit growth rate to 16.6% from last year's 9.5%. Activation of  banks in the credit market, in turn, increased net profit in the  first half of 2017 by 49.5% per annum - up to 19.2 billion drams ($  39.9 million).

ArmInfo. In the aggregate loan  portfolio of Armenian banks, the NPL share decreased by July 1, 2017  year on year from 13.2% to 9.8%, reaching 269 billion AMD in absolute  terms. However, five banks, nevertheless, overshoot this indicator  for the maximum limit of the critical limit - 22-33% against the  internationally acceptable 10-15%.

ArmInfo. As of August 30 this  year, readiness to participate in the program expressed by 10 banks and 2  universal credit companies. These are ACBA Credit-Agricole Bank,  Ameriabank, ARARATBANK, Ardshinbank, Armswissbank, Converse Bank,  INECOBANK, Armbusinessbank, Armeconombank, Prometey Bank, as well as  UCC and .