ArmInfo.First Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Gegham Gevorgyan held a meeting on March 18 with the participation of representatives of a number of companies involved in milk processing.According to the press service of the  Ministry of Agriculture, Gevorkyan said that the purpose of the  Ministry is to develop the sphere, increase the competitiveness of  the local producer by quickly solving the tasks facing the producers. 

ArmInfo.In Armenia, the loan limit for leasing equipment for processing agricultural production increased from 230 million drams to 450 million drams. The decision  was taken at the March 7 meeting of the RA government.

ArmInfo. Armswissbank and the International Investment Bank (IIB - International Investment Bank), under the Trade Finance Support Program (TFSP), signed an agreement for 2 million euros. According to the press service of Armsivsbank, the cooperation will provide an opportunity to provide TFP products to customers of the bank on more competitive terms.According to the report, within the framework of trade financing, the bank also cooperates with its traditional partners, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Italian bank UBI.

ArmInfo. ArmSwissBank and  the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on  February 19 signed 2 loan agreements for 10 million euros under the  programs "SME Development" and "Green Economy Financing Facility"  (GEFF). The loan under the GEFF program will be provided to  ArmSwissBank by the Eurobank and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

ArmInfo. According to the Central Bank of Armenia, by the end of 2018, the total volume of agricultural loans amounted to 136.2 billion drams ($ 282 million),  having increased by 3.6% over the past year.

ArmInfo. In 2018, the banking system of Armenia increased tax payments to the state  treasury by 21.2% to 48.6 billion drams ($ 100.5 million). Of this  amount, 91% or 44.2 billion drams were paid in direct taxes, with a  y-o-y growth of 23.8%.

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the number of plastic cards increased in 2018 by 18% to 2,024 million units, against a 9.2% increase in 2017. The y-o-y growth of the total volume  of plastic transactions to 22.6% in 2018 from 11.8% in 2017 to 1.933  trillion drams has accelerated adequately. This is evidenced by the  data of the Central Bank of Armenia.

ArmInfo. "ArmSwissBank" CJSC  occupies one of the leading positions in the debt securities market  of Armenia, both as an underwriter and market maker. Considering that  recently, the Nasdaq OMX Armenia Stock Exchange carried out its  rebranding, during which the unpromising refusal from Nasdaq OMX  words  in the name of the exchange took place, and the exchange was  renamed simply OJSC Armenia Securities  Exchange (AMX), I would like  to hope that not everything is so bad. It is still difficult to say  whether this, seemingly, forced step will lead towards any changes in  the organized capital market of the country. Nevertheless, the  correspondent of ArmInfo spoke with one of the country's leading  specialists, with the Director of the Investment Department of  ArmSwissBank CJSC Karen Turyan about what is happening in the market  today, what are the trends of its development.

ArmInfo. Over the previous year, the corporate sector of the Armenian bond market grew by 3%, 31 issues totaling $ 151.9 million were placed.  In the public sector 11  placements were made at $ 512 million, the segment volume decreased by 61%, Cbonds reports.

ArmInfo.The banking system assets of Armenia accelerated growth in 2018, to 14% from 6.4% in 2017, reaching 4.964 trillion drams ($ 10.3 billion). According to  the Express Ranking of Armenian banks prepared by ArmInfo, in their  structure, credit investments and other loans crossed the mark of 3  trillion drams ($ 6.3 billion), with the acceleration of y-o-y growth  from 4% in 2017 to 19.2% in 2018.

ArmInfo. The total investment portfolio of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) in  Armenia is about $ 185, and the current one is $ 66 million. Director of the EDB in the Republic of Armenia Armen Melikyan, told ArmInfo in an interview.

ArmInfo.Armswissbank has been granted the status of market maker on the first dollar bonds of INECOBANK. According to NASDAQ OMX Armenia, the issue volume amounted  to $ 5 million, coupon yield - 5.25%, circulation period - 3 years,  coupon payments - once every six months, with full repayment on June  11, 2021.

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the number of plastic cards increased by October 1, 2018 by 17.9% per annum - to 1.928 million units, against a decline of 7.6% a year  earlier. The annual growth of the total volume of plastic  transactions from 7.7% in the first 9 months of 2017 to 24.5% in the  first 9 months of 2018 has sharply accelerated to this, reaching 1.4  trillion drams. This is evidenced by the data of the Central Bank of  Armenia.

ArmInfo. Ameriabank joined the state leasing program for the agri- food sector. As the press service of the RA Ministry of Agriculture told ArmInfo, this is the fourth  bank that joined this state program, along with Armswissbank,  Converse Bank and Armeconombank.

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the number of plastic cards increased by 16% per annum to July 1, 2018, to 1.851 million units, against the decline of 9% a year earlier.  Adequately, the annual growth in the total volume of plastic  transactions sharply accelerated from 7.2% in the first half of 2017  to 23% in the first half of 2018, exceeding 863.5 billion drams. This  is evidenced by the data of the Central Bank of Armenia.

ArmInfo. Since March 2019, in the Ararat, Armavir and Shirak regions of Armenia, a pilot agro-insurance program has started, risks of hail and frosts will be insured. This was announced on August 31 by Armenian Minister of Agriculture Artur Khachatryan.

ArmInfo. At the Getamech  poultry farm, with the financing of Armswissbank within the renewable  energy program in cooperation with the energy company SHTIGEN, a  solar (photovoltaic) power plant with a nominal capacity of 237.6 kW  is installed. As stressed in the press service of the Bank, today it  is the largest roof solar power plant in Armenia.

ArmInfo. On the threshold of launching agricultural risk insurance in Armenia, y-o-y growth of banks' lending to the agricultural sector accelerated dramatically  from 0.9% to 7.4% by July 1, 2018.

ArmInfo.The Armenian banking system sent 27.6 billion drams to the state treasury in the first half of 2018, which is 26% higher than the figure of a year ago. Of  this amount, over 87.3% or 24.1 billion drams was paid on direct  taxes (incl. tax on profits and income tax), with an annual growth of  40.6%. The top five banks of taxpayers - Ameriabank, ACBA-Credit  Agricole Bank, INECOBANK, Ardshinbank and VTB Bank (Armenia), sent to  the state budget in the first half of 2018 a total of 15.3 billion  drams (annual growth of 34.2%), of which 14 billion drams - on direct  taxes (annual growth of 33.3%). According to the RA State Revenue  Committee, in the first hundred of the largest taxpayers of Armenia  in the first half of 2018, out of 17 operating banks, 13 as many as a  year ago fell.