ArmInfo. The US trade deficit widened by 32.6% in December compared to the previous month, reaching $70.3 billion, the Commerce Department reported.

ArmInfo.

ArmInfo.. The Armenian Ministry of Health is ready to consider including taxi drivers in the  insurance system by 2027. Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan told journalists during a briefing on February 19. She also noted that, according to the established procedure, individuals working under civil contracts should be included in the insurance system only starting January 1, 2027.

ArmInfo.5 travelling vouchers worth AMD 1,000,000 for each trip abroad and 50 prizes of 100,000 idcoins have been awarded to their happy owners. On February 18, IDBank summarized the raffle for customers who joined the IDsalary payroll package through a live broadcast on its official Facebook and YouTube pages.

ArmInfo.

ArmInfo.

ArmInfo.The 5th anniversary KaradaLove Book and Education Festival was held in Yerevan, bringing together book lovers and those interested in education and self-development. Book presentations, author meet-and-greets, educational and career guidance events – this year, the festival, supported by AraratBank for the second year in a row, was presented in a new format.

ArmInfo.Armenia is planning to receive 100 million euros from the French Development  Agency (AFD). At its February 19 meeting, the Armenian government approved the draft law "On Ratification of Framework Agreement No. CAM 1029 on the Provision of an Uncommitted Credit Line between the Republic of Armenia and AFD," signed within the framework of the "  Water Agriculture Integrated Development of  Armenia" (WAIDA) program on December 18-19, 2025.

ArmInfo. Babken Tunyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia from the ruling Civil Contract faction, called on electric vehicle owners to delay paying their property taxes.

ArmInfo.Starting April 1, pensions and benefits in Armenia will be paid exclusively by bank  transfer, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Arsen Torosyan reminded at a government meeting on February 19. "We ask all our pensioners and benefit recipients to independently choose a bank and receive a bank card by March 5," Torosyan said.

ArmInfo. Back in 2018, the Armenian government decided to build a Backup Crisis Center for the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. However, the established deadlines "were not met for a number of objective and subjective reasons." This is stated in the draft resolution of the Armenian government dated February 19 "On the Contribution of Assets to the Authorized Capital  of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant CJSC."

ArmInfo. The number of virtual point-of-sale (vPOS) terminals in Armenia will reach 5,814,000 by 2026, of which 52%, or 2,999,000, are used in retail, catering, and  service outlets.

ArmInfo.On February 18, Ardshinbank officially opened its new Ardshinbank Business branch at 16/12 Tigran Mets. The specialized office is designed to serve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

ArmInfo.The Armenian government approved the draft law "On Investments" at its 19th  session.

ArmInfo.FLYONE ARMENIA will hold a one-day ticket sales promotion on February 19, 2026, to a number of popular destinations.

ArmInfo. AirBaltic will launch Yerevan-Riga-Yerevan flights starting May 2. This was  announced following a meeting between Lusine Gevorgyan, Chairperson of the Tourism Committee, Edite Medne, Latvian Ambassador to Armenia, and Armen Ghasaboghlyan, Honorary Consul of Latvia in Armenia.

ArmInfo.At its 19th session, the Government of Armenia approved a draft decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia "On approving the grant agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the Yerevan Customs and Logistics Center project in the amount of ?6 million."

ArmInfo. Brandy production in 2024 amounted to 19.9 million liters, a 7.4% decrease compared to 2022 and a 1.2% increase compared to 2023. This is stated in a report prepared by the consulting company Modex as part of the "Development of the Private Sector and Vocational Education and Training in  Armenia" program, implemented on behalf of the German Government.

ArmInfo. As of January 1, 2026, Armenian plastic market had over 5 million cards, with the  annual growth decreasing from 16.3% to 15.8%. Meanwhile, microprocessing cards with NFC chips experienced a slowdown in growth from 32% to 25%, totaling 4.3 million, which accounts  85% of the total number of cards, according to data from the Central Bank of  Armenia.

ArmInfo. Experts from the Luys Foundation have analyzed the 2025 Corruption Perceptions  Index report, published by Transparency International.