YEREVAN, November 12. / ARKA /. Twenty-one Armenian banks’ lending to trade in the third quarter of 2014 saw a 0.7 percent rise if compared to the same period in 2013, amounting to about 366.7 billion drams, according to ARKA news agency’s  quarterly bulletin "Banks of Armenia."

According to the banks’ interim financial reports for the third quarter of 2014, the total lending to the economy in the third quarter amounted to more than 1.8 trillion drams, up from 1.6 trillion drams in the third quarter of 2013.

The leading bank by size of lending to trade in the third quarter was Ameriabank. It accounted for 11.7% of the total lending to this sector. Some 19.4% of its loan portfolio or about 43 billion drams were lent to trading firms.

Ameriabank was followed by HSBS Bank Armenia (about 41 billion drams or 24 percent of its loan portfolio), VTB Bank (Armenia) (more than 37.1 billion drams or 16.6 percent of its loan portfolio), Inecobank (about 32.9 billion drams or 35.1 percent of its loan portfolio) and Armbusinessbank (more 30.9 billion drams or 19.8 percent of its loan portfolio). ($ 1 - 415.33 drams).-0-