ArmInfo. The number of virtual POS terminals (vPOS) in Armenia reached 5,877,000 by April 2026, of which 51.3%, or 3,016,000, are used in retail, catering, and service outlets. The year-on-year increase in the number of vPOS terminals by 22.3%, or 1,073,000, and regular POS terminals by 16%, or 13,678,000, is clearly explained by the increased use of cashless payments, which became mandatory with the introduction of legislative restrictions on cash transactions in July 2022. This is according to data from the Central Bank of Armenia.
Thus, by 2026, 57,587 POS terminals (including 2,193 vPOS terminals) will be in use at wholesale and retail outlets (supermarkets, stores, markets, and fairs), with an annual growth of 13%, or 6,463 units. Meanwhile, the number of ATMs at these locations remained unchanged at 594. At the same time, banks, by optimizing their ATM networks in their branches (45 ATMs were dismantled), increased their POS network by 67 units (56 regular POS terminals and 11 vPOS terminals).
In total, by April 2026, there will be 105,445 POS terminals in Armenia, of which 99,600 are regular POS terminals. Moreover, there are 1,164 units (including 117 vPOS) in bank head offices and branches, while 75,835 units (including 3,204 vPOS) are located in retail, catering/services (hotels, restaurants, cafes, bistros), and healthcare facilities (hospitals, dental clinics, pharmacies).
As of April 2026, there were 1,443 ATMs in Armenia, a year-on-year decrease of 5.3%, or 80 units. Of these, 912 are in the capital, and 531 are in regional locations. The number of ATMs in the capital and regional locations decreased by 34 and 46 units, respectively, year-on-year.
The Central Bank's report also indicates the number of payment terminals: 11,523 units, of which 5,220 units are installed in the capital and 6,303 units in the regions. Only 918 of these terminals are in banks. The majority (10,605 units) are scattered among large shopping centers, busy streets of the capital, and in the regions. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of payment terminals increased by 22 units.
According to the Central Bank, as of April of this year, there were already 5.3 million cards in Armenia (with a year-on-year increase of 19%), and the volume of plastic transactions (including foreign transactions using cards issued by Armenian banks) in the first quarter of 2026 exceeded 1.8 trillion drams (with a year-on-year increase of 13%). Of this volume, non-cash transactions now account for 62%.
For the third year in a row, the growth of plastic transactions has been supported by high activity through POS terminals, especially virtual and mobile POS terminals, and more recently, QR terminals. While cash transactions traditionally dominated overall plastic transactions, since the legislative restriction of the latter (from July 2022), the situation has shifted in favor of non-cash card transactions, with their dominance expected to increase to 56.8% by 2023 and further strengthening to 56.8% by 2026.
