YEREVAN, February 23, /ARKA/. Armenian commercial banks’ investments in the government treasury bonds in the 4th quarter of 2010 grew by 16.8% from the beginning of the quarter to 120.6 billion Drams, according to an analysis made by ARKA news agency based on financial reports of the banks for the last three months of 2010.

Their investments in government bonds accounted for 7.7% of their total assets, up from 7.3% at the beginning of the last quarter of 2010.

The banks’ aggregate portfolio of all securities stood at 124.9 billion Drams at the end of December , 2010 and 96.6% were investments in government treasury bonds. HSBC Bank Armenia was the leading bank by size of investments in government bonds with 23.89 billion Drams. The bank earned 1.1 billion Drams in interest income from investments in government bonds in the last quarter of 2010 which made 10% of all its interest incomes.

The second was Ameriabank with 12.9 billion Drams of investment in government bonds. Its interest income from investing in the bonds was 1.11 billion Drams or 9.6% of all its interest income earned last year. Armswissbank came in third with 12.7 billion Drams of investments in government bonds and other securities. There are 21 banks in Armenia operating 407 branches. ($1 – 364,82 Drams). –0--