YEREVAN, April 5. /ARKA/. The VTB Bank (Armenia) said today that the PIN codes of plastic cards issued by VTB Bank (Armenia) are provided to customers via SMS messages instead of paper carriers.

It said in a news release that when a new card is received, temporary PIN-codes are sent to the cardholders, which they should change by themselves via ATMs of VTB Bank (Armenia) and set the PIN-code at their own discretion. Thanks to the new service, the bank's customers can set a combination of numbers that they can easily remember, changing it later at any time, and those who have several cards – may set a single PIN-code for all their cards.

After receiving an SMS message with a temporary PIN code, the client performs the following actions to activate the card and install a permanent PIN code: insert the card into any ATM of VTB Bank (Armenia), enter a temporary PIN code received via SMS message, enter a new four-digit PIN code in the opened window, re-enter the new PIN and complete the operation.

Based on the security requirements, the PIN-code set by the customer is not stored in the processing center of the bank and is available exclusively to the client. This new service applies to all VTB Bank (Armenia) cards, except for Instant Issue, Visa Infinite, pension and credit cards.

More information on changing PIN codes when activating a banking card is available at the branches of VTB Bank (Armenia) and by calling 87-87.

VTB Bank (Armenia) became a participant of VTB Group in April 2004. Currently, VTB Bank, the second largest in Russia, owns 100% of VTB Bank (Armenia). It operates 67 branches across Armenia. -0-