Yerevan /Mediamax/. In the second quarter of 2008, there were 1 541 602 operations by plastic cards at the whole sum of 73 641mln## AMD realized in the territory of Armenia.

As Mediamax was told in the press service of the Central Bank of Armenia, the volume of non-cash payments with the use of plastic cards made 5846mln AMD.

The number of cards in circulation by the second quarter of 2008, made 394 251, which is 1.15 times more (51 480 cards), as compared to the end of the first quarter of 2008.

By the end of the second quarter of 2008, the number of active ArCa [Armenian Card] cards increased 1.18 times (27 505 cards more), as compared to the end of the first quarter, thus making 183 745.

The number of cards of international systems during the accounting period on the whole increased 1.13 times (23 975 cards more). The number of VISA cards increased by 14 099 cards (1.11 times), thus making 147 142, and the number of MasterCard cards increased 1.2 times (5 222 cards), thus making 31 901.

In the accounting period, 685 842 operations at the whole sum of 25 366mln AMD were realized using ArCa cards. The volume of operations grew by 9424mln AMD (1.6 times) as compared to the second quarter of 2007.

The volume of operations, carried out with the use of VISA cards in the second quarter of 2008, made 30 788mln AMD (508 834 operations), and with the use of MasterCard - 7394mln AMD (123 074 operations). As compared the second quarter of 2007, the indices increased correspondingly by 10993mln and 2751mln AMD.

There were 223 752 operations at the whole sum of 10094mln AMD realized with the use of other international cards during the accounting period, which is for 3612mln AMD more than in the second quarter of 2007.

In the second quarter of the year, there were on average 1.2 operations monthly realized with the use of one ArCa card. The average volume of one operation 37 thousand AMD.

By the end of 2007, there were 20 banks in Armenia providing and operating plastic cards, 19 of which were members of ArCa payment system.