ARMBUSINESSBANK INTENDS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTOMATIC CURRENCY EXCHANGE FACILITIES BY 30 NEW DEVICES BY THE END OF 2007
ArmInfo
2007-06-20 17:59:00
The ArmBusinessBank (ABB) is planning to increase the number of
automatic currency exchange facilities to 36 by the end of 2007.
Karen Khachatryan, Head of the ABB department of plastic cards,
told ArmInfo correspondent that the bank has recently acquired 20
new devices, 10 of them are already in Armenia. To note, ABB is
the first and only commercial bank in the country which has devices
automatically converting foreign exchange into AMD. He noted that
the bank is currently negotiating with the Sigma company (Italy) on
purchase of 10 similar devices. At the same time, K.Khachatryan noted
that ABB has installed 6 devices, but one of them is operating at the
moment. Two devices are installed in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh
capital. He added that the automatic currency exchange device in the
Mashtots Avenue carried out 1549 transaction in May 2007.
According to K.Khachatryan, 108 thsd USD, 15 thsd EUR, 130 thsd RUR,
200 GBP, 2 thsd UAH and 300 CHF were converted into AMD in May. He
pointed out that 3-5 thsd USD, 500-1.2 thsd EUR, 1 thsd-8 thsd RUR
at the mean are converted into AMD every day. "Transactions are most
actively carried out in the afternoon when the branches of the banks
are closed and the rate drops at the exchange points," he stressed.
To note, ABB’s main shareholders are the Ukrprombank (Ukraine, 35%),
the Alpha Grant insurance company (Ukraine, 35%), and the Christie
Management company (Great Britain, 30%). As of the beginning of 2007,
ABB’s assets made up 16.6 bln AMD. The bank is an active participant
in the market of consumer crediting.