TOTAL AMOUNT OF OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT WITH PLASTIC CARDS GROWS 1.19FOLD IN ARMENIA IN THIRD QUARTER OF 2007 ON PREVIOUS QUARTER
Noyan Tapan
Nov 13, 2007
YERVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. At the end of the third quarter
of 2007, 20 Armenian commercial banks were engaged in provision of
plastic cards to customers or their servicing. 19 commercial banks
were members of the united payment system with "ArCa" cards.
According to the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA),
1,136,674 operations of the total amount of 55 bln 936 mln drams were
made in Armenia in the third quarter of 2007, including cashless
payments with the use of cards of the total amount of 5 bln 49 mln
drams. The amount of operations via the Internet accounted for 198
mln drams (including electronic trade of 98 mln drams and card-to-card
transfers of 100 mln drams) of the above mentioned amount of cashless
operations.
At the end of the third quarter of 2007, the number of cards in
circulation made 281,729, growing 1.12fold as compared with their
number at the end of the second quarter of 2007.
At the end of the third quarter, the number of "ArCa" cards increased
1.13fold (by 15,082 cards) as compared with the end of the second
quarter of 2007 and made 128,527. The number of cards of international
card systems grew 1.12fold (by 15,881 cards), including a 1.11fold
increase (by 11,919 cards to 116,021) in the number of "Visa" cards
and a 1.17fold increase (by 2,745 cards to 18,748 cars) in the number
of MasterCards.
The amount of operations with the use of cards grew 1.19 fold (by
9 bln 75 mln drams), their number – 1.08fold (by 88,416 operations)
as compared with the second quarter of 2007.
519,311 operations of the total amount of 18 bln 806 mln drams were
made with the use of ArCa cards. The amount of operations with the
use of ArCa cards grew abou 1.18fold (by 2 bln 864 mln drams), their
number – 1.04fold (by 16,387 operations) on the second quarter of 2007.
The amount of operations with the use of Visa cards made 24 bln 96
mln drams (374,383 operations), while the amount of operations with
MasterCards made 5 bln 386 mln drams (88,350 operations). The total
amount of operations with the use of Visa cards grew 1.22fold on the
previous quarter (by 4 bln 301 mln drams), while the total amount
of operations with the use of MasterCards grew 1.16fold (by 744 mln
drams). 154,630 operations of the amount of 7 bln 648 mln drams were
carried out with the use of other international cards, which is more
by 1 bln 167 mln drams as compared with the second quarter of 2007.
The average monthly amount of operations with the use of one ArCa card
grew by about 4 thousand drams in the third quarter of 2007 as compared
with the previous one and made 36 thousand drams (about 110 USD).