YEREVAN. - In 2016, the lending portfolio of the Armenian banking system grew by 20.5 percent, amounting to 2 trillion 570 billion AMD, as per the reports of the republic’s banks on the results of the 4th quarter of 2016.

Accordingly, the total assets of banks grew by 18.5 percent, reaching 4 trillion 141 billion.

Ameriabank remains the largest bank according to both indexes. As per the results of the year 2016, it was the first bank of Armenia, whose lending portfolio exceeded $1 billion. In 2015, Ameriabank overcame that threshold in respect of assets, Ardshinbank joining it in this, pursuant to the results of the year 2016.

The three largest banks according to their assets, Ameriabank, Ardshinbank and ArmBusinessBank, as well as the fifth one, Anelik, significantly increased their assets (ArmBusinessBank by 98 billion AMD, while the rest for over 100 billion AMD).  The assets of the fourth largest bank according to its assets, Acba Credit Agricole, remained at the same level.

Overall, either growth or slight decline can be observed in actually all the banks of Armenia, except for HSBC Bank Armenia and VTB (Armenia), which recorded over 20 percent fall on both indexes, as well as Areximbank-Gazprombank group, which has joined Ardshinbank since January 2017.