The Armenian government has approved a 2% cashback program for all holders of the national payment system ArCa cards. Refunds will be credited for non-cash purchases of 1,000 drams ($2.5) or more. The maximum cashback per transaction is limited to 6,000 drams ($15), and the maximum amount of payments per month will be 60,000 drams.
The program is funded equally: 50% of the payments will be provided by the state budget, and another 50% by the ArCa system itself. The founders of the company are the Central Bank of Armenia and most of the country's commercial banks, which participate in its financing. At the first stage, the program is designed for 1 year: cashback accrual will begin in February 2026 based on the results of January purchases and will end in January 2027.
ArCa's budget for payments is set at 3.5 billion drams ($9 million). If this limit is exceeded, the government will take over further funding. One of the key goals of the initiative is to increase legal turnover by expanding non-cash payments, as well as increasing the popularity of national system cards, which are still inferior to international ones. At the same time, cashback will not be valid for online purchases on foreign platforms.