On November 11-12, the international PLUS Forum under the theme FinnoWay Armenia was held for the first time in Armenia at the Meridian Expo Center. 

The event was organized with the support of the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia and co-organized by Arca, the national payment system.

The Forum brought together more than 1,600 participants from around 15 countries, including representatives of banks, payment systems, technology platforms, and public institutions. Participants discussed global digitalization trends, opportunities for integrating national and international payment systems, as well as new models of cooperation.

Within the framework of the Forum, Arca hosted a thematic panel discussion titled
 “Arca: Pathways for Developing the National Payment System”, moderated by Ara Chalabyan, President of IIA Armenia.

The panel featured Vardan Khachatryan, CEO of Arca, Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), David Zgudazde, Country Manager for Mastercard in Armenia and Georgia, and Denis Paramonov, Head of Business Development for CIS countries at UnionPay.

During the discussion, speakers presented the strategic directions for developing national payment systems, addressed prospects for international integration, and reflected on the future of cashless payments.

As part of the Forum, Ruben Saghoyan, Director of Business Development at Arca, presented global trends in QR payments, highlighting the recently launched national unified ArcaQR system.

Arca’s CTO, Aghasi Vardanyan, delivered a keynote on how Arca has evolved into a reliable hub for technological innovation, payment solutions development, and high-level information security practices. 

“FinnoWay Armenia provided a unique opportunity for Armenia to showcase the achievements of our national payment infrastructure and to open new directions for international cooperation, establishing strong and mutually beneficial partnerships,” Vardan Khachatryan, CEO of Arca, noted.

Throughout the Forum, Arca held a number of meetings at its exhibition booth dedicated to the development of the payment ecosystem, innovation, and expanding international partnerships. Months of coordinated work by Arca’s team resulted in the signing of several strategic memorandum and agreements, including:

•    Arca & NPCI (India): cooperation enabling instant money transfers from Armenia to India via ArcaPay.

•    Arca, Bank of Georgia & Ameriabank: tripartite partnership to expand acceptance of Arca cards and enable instant Armenia - Georgia money transfers, with Ameriabank serving as the settlement bank.

•    Arca & Elcard: cooperation within the ArcaPay system.

•    Arca & Mastercard: issuance of co-badged cards.

•    Arca & UnionPay International: issuance of co-badged cards.

•    Arca & HayotBank: interoperability between ArcaQR and HayotBank QR systems.

“These initiatives aim to strengthen Armenia’s position on the regional payment infrastructure map by ensuring faster, more convenient, and accessible transactions, and by integrating the national payment system into the global payments landscape.

Arca continues to develop digital and innovative solutions, ensuring a more secure, convenient, and modern financial environment for Armenia’s citizens and partners, while creating favorable cooperation conditions and new mutually beneficial opportunities for international partners,” the statement reads.