Armenia Banking Market Expected to Reach $996 Million by 2026

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Armenia Banking Market by Sector and Type: Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019–2026," the Armenia banking market size was valued at $519 million in 2018, and is projected to reach $996 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2019 to 2026. 

A bank is a financial institution licensed to accepting and safeguarding money owned by the public and creates credit in the market. It provides various products and services such as wealth management, credit and cash management, currency exchange, other financial transactions, and services in the industry. The banking systems are highly regulated in most of the countries, responsible for ensuring financial stability and protecting depositors' funds, regulate exchange rates to control inflation, and other such allied activities in the banking sector. It operates into corporate banking, retail banking, investment banking, wholesale banking, and other such banking segments globally. 

The Armenian banking sector is regulated by Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), which is responsible for the protection of consumer rights and market conduct in the financial system of the country. It has 17 commercial banks operating in the Republic of Armenia, and all commercial banks are currently participating in exchange trading of Armenia. The banking system is the biggest part of the financial market in the country and is highly dominated by banks that account for 88% of the total assets of the system. 

Rise in adoption and implementation of digital banking technologies in the international financial system is one of the major factors that fuels the growth of the Armenian banking sector in the market. Moreover, continuous growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Armenia leads to large-scale financing and lending in comparison with other countries, which in turn boosts the growth of the banking sector in the country. However, the financial sector is characterized by high dollarization at around 60%, which is one of the highest in the region. This leads to large scale foreign exchange and refinancing risks; thereby, hampering the growth of Armenia banking industry. 

On the contrary, the country is set to introduce Basel III, providing an opportunity for banks to maintain capital buffers to cover bank losses during financial instability, and execute their existing offerings in the market. In addition, the liquidity rates of the banking system continue to stay high, providing an opportunity for banks to serve customers at the expense of liquidity means in the country. 

Based on sector, the market is divided into retail banking, corporate banking, and investment banking. The corporate banking segment accounted for the largest revenue in 2018 and expected to maintain its dominant position throughout the Armenia banking market analysis period. Owing to the fact that the corporate sector is widely represented in Armenia and all 17 banks in the country with 60% of coverage are focused mainly on SMEs, which are categorized under corporate sector of banking system. The SMEs in the country has increased tremendously, and the level of financing and lending from banks for SMEs is quite high; thereby, thereby boosting the Armenia banking market growth in the country. 

By type, the market is segmented into closed joint-stock company (CJSC) and open joint-stock company (OJSC). The closed joint-stock company (CJSC) segment accounted for the highest Armenia banking market share in 2018 and is anticipated to maintain this trend during the forecast period. The banking system in the country is privately owned with no government share and is expected to continue to attract new shareholders in the market. In addition, Armenian banking sector is the biggest part of the financial market in the country. The banks are largely categorized under closed joint-stock company (CJSC) type in the country.

Key Findings of the Study

• The corporate banking segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period, in terms of value.
• In terms of revenue, the closed joint-stock company (OJSC) segment accounted for the highest revenue in the Armenia banking market in 2018.

The key players operating in the Armenia banking market include Ameriabank CJSC, ARARATBANK OJSC, ArmSwissBank CJSC, Converse Bank CJSC, HSBC Armenia, ID Bank, ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK CJSC, ArmBusinessBank CJSC, Ardshinbank CJSC, and Inecobank CJSC. Other players operating in the market are UniBank OJSC, VTB Bank Armenia CJSC, Artsakhbank CJSC, Evocabank CJSC, and Mellat Bank CJSC.