Yerevan/Mediamax/. There is quite high awareness in Armenia on Deposit Guarantee Fund, Director of the Fund Hermine Harutyunyan stated in Yerevan today,

Mediamax reports that Hermine Harutyunyan said this following the results of the sociological research on awareness on the Deposit Guarantee Fund, held by “Alfa Plus Consulting” Company.

Director of “Alfa Plus Consulting” Alexander Poghosyan informed that the poll was held among 750 adult respondents from Yerevan in 9 large towns of Armenia. At that, the share of depositors among the polled made about 10%.

According to the research, the awareness on the Fund was confirmed by 53% of the polled. During the previous analogous researches in 2006 and 2007, the level of awareness on the Fund made 23% and 41% respectively.

Absolute majority of the polled (68%) learned about the Fund on TV, 16% - from other people, 9% - in banks, 2% - from newspapers and 1% each from internet, radio and print materials of the Fund.

68% of the people, aware of the Fund, believe that only compensation of individuals’ deposits is guaranteed, about almost same number of polled (67.1%) know that AMD deposits are guarantees for the sum of up to 2mln.

62% of the respondents, aware of the Fund, know that all types of individuals’ deposits are guaranteed, and 40% know that deposits both in AMD and in foreign currency are guaranteed.

Touching upon suggestions and wishes of the polled, Alexander Poghosyan informed that 48% of them support increase of the deposit guarantee limit, 38% consider it normal, and 2% are even inclined to the idea of lowering the limit. “50% of the polled expressed a wish for the limit of deposit guarantee to be equal for deposits in AMD and in foreign currency, and 26% of the polled believed that the preference should be given to AMD deposits”, Alexander Poghosyan stated.

62% of respondents, aware of the Fund, expressed confidence that existence of the Fund contributes to increase of trust towards the banking system.

Let’s remind that on May 17, 2010, the Armenian parliament approved in first reading the changes and amendments to the law on “Guaranteeing banking deposits of individuals”. According to the amendments, the size of guarantee of citizens’ deposits will be increased. If previously the foreign currency deposits were guaranteed for the sum of up to 1mln in AMD equivalent, and AMD deposits – for up to 2mln AMD, now they suggest increasing it to 2mln and 4mln AMD respectively.