YEREVAN, March 17. /ARKA/. Total volume of all card transactions in Armenia amounted to 1,274.8 billion drams in 2014, an increase of 26.2% compared to the year before, the website of the Central Bank of Armenia reports.

Number of card transactions during the year totaled 24,822,723 (21% increase compared to 2013).
Local ArCa cards were used to effect a total of 7,492,928 transactions for 347.6 billion drams in 2014, an increase of 23.4% compared to 2013.

Number of VISA card transactions was 10,903,282 during the year with the total amount at 596.1 billion drams. As compared with 2013, the amount of transactions went up by 26.3%.

A total of 5,065,481 card transactions through MasterCard were affected worth a total of 249.1 billion drams in the period, which is an increase of 38.3% compared to 2013.

Number of transactions through other cards was 1,361,032 in the period, worth a total of 81.9 billion drams, 7.9% growth against 2013.

According to the central bank, total number of plastic cards was 1,624,057 as of the end of 2014 (4% growth), of them 546,509 were ArCa cards (3.2% decline), 712,211 were VISA cards (9.1% growth), 320,653 were MasterCard (7% growth) and 44,684 were other cards (2.9% reduction).

Plastic cards are issued and service by 19 commercial banks operating in the territory of Armenia, all 19 as members of ArCa payment system. ($1 – 480.85 drams). —0—