A senior Central Bank official has said that the instability surrounding Iran has affected and continues to affect Armenia’s economy, particularly in terms of logistics chains and energy prices.

“On the other hand, we have observed a redirection of tourist flows from a number of Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, toward our region. Since May, we have recorded a sharp increase in tourist arrivals,” Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Armenia Hovhannes Khachatryan said at a press briefing.

Addressing trade with Russia, Khachatryan noted that the impact of export restrictions has not yet fully materialized, as they have been in effect for only two months.

Ahead of the June 7 elections in Armenia, Russia began imposing restrictions on imports of numerous Armenian goods, prompting producers to seek new export markets. 

According to him, the restrictions have already been reflected in current indicators; however, Armenia’s economy maintained high growth rates in June and July.

“This is because other sectors, particularly construction and services, continue to be the main drivers of economic growth and are developing at a rapid pace. We are constantly monitoring various scenarios, assessing both inflation developments and potential changes in economic activity,” he said.

The United States government has doubled the funding for the TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund, increasing it from the initial $201 million to $402 million.

The data was published by the U.S. government’s official spending database, USAspending.gov, which lists Armenia as the primary place of performance for the project.

The funding is linked to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) connectivity initiative, which envisages the development of a transport route through southern Armenia aimed at connecting the South Caucasus to the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor.

According to the published data, on January 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs awarded a $201 million grant to the TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund, with the implementation period set to run until December 31, 2036. On July 16, an amendment to the grant agreement increased the funding commitment to $402 million, without extending the project completion deadline.

The data indicates that the full $402 million financial commitment has already been recorded for the project.

The TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund was established on January 26, 2026, two weeks after a Washington meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the sides released a document stating that they would establish the TRIPP Development Company — an entity responsible for ensuring the development and implementation of infrastructure for the TRIPP project. The Republic of Armenia will hold a 26% stake in the company, while the United States will hold a 74% stake.

The TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund and the TRIPP Development Company are separate entities. The latter is intended to oversee the development and implementation of the infrastructure project.

The TRIPP Development Company is expected to operate under the auspices of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

Unlike the development company, the TRIPP+ Enterprise Fund was established as a separate investment fund. Businessman Konstantin Sokolov has been appointed as its head. 

The increase in U.S. funding comes at a time when Washington is seeking to expand its engagement in the South Caucasus by supporting the development of transport and economic connectivity, as well as advancing projects linking the region to the Trans-Caspian Corridor.

The growth in real estate prices in Armenia resumed in the second quarter of 2026, according to Central Bank Deputy Governor Hovhannes Khachatryan.

“Over the past year to year and a half, growth in real estate prices had stalled and slowed significantly; however, in the second quarter, we are already seeing a recovery,” he said at a press briefing.

Khachatryan added that it is still unclear to what extent this trend is driven by changes in the conditions for purchasing real estate.

Mortgage transactions continue, he said, including purchases made by non-residents.

“Most likely, a trend is emerging whereby developers are beginning to more actively target non-resident buyers in order to ensure sales of their apartments,” the Central Bank deputy governor said.

The Armenian parliament is holding a confirmation hearing on the candidacy of Civil Contract faction MP Vahagn Aleksanyan for the position of Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

The Civil Contract faction has nominated Vahagn Aleksanyan for one of the two vacant Deputy Speaker positions. The ruling faction has also nominated Hayk Konjoryan for the other vacant Deputy Speaker post, whose candidacy has already been reviewed by parliament ahead of a confirmation vote.

Deputy Speakers of the National Assembly are elected separately through a secret ballot by a majority of the total number of MPs.

The right to nominate a candidate for the third Deputy Speaker position belongs to the largest opposition faction.

In Armenia’s new parliament, the largest opposition faction is Strong Armenia, which has nominated Aram Vardevanyan for the position of Deputy Speaker.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Ruslan Stefanchuk on Tuesday.

According to a readout from the Armenian parliament’s press service, Stefanchuk congratulated Rubinyan on his election as Speaker of Parliament, wishing him success and effective work.

The sides discussed the cooperation agenda between the two parliaments — the National Assembly of Armenia and Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada — emphasizing the further strengthening of parliamentary ties and the use of new opportunities for cooperation.

They also discussed issues related to Armenia-Ukraine relations, as well as matters of mutual interest.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with India’s Ambassador to Armenia Nilakshi Saha Sinha on Tuesday on the occasion of the completion of her diplomatic mission.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s readout, the sides expressed satisfaction with the significant expansion of the strategic partnership agenda between Armenia and India in recent years, as well as with the tangible results achieved. They also discussed future plans.

Minister Mirzoyan highlighted Ambassador Sinha’s personal contribution to the development of Armenia-India relations and the deepening of bilateral cooperation, wishing her success in her future endeavors.

At its meeting on August 4, 2026, the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 6.50%.

The Central Bank said in a press release that the board also decided to leave the key standing facilities unchanged. The Lombard Repo Facility Rate remains at 8.00%, while the Deposit Facility Rate stays at 5.00%.

The CBA Transparency Report will be published later today.

YEREVAN, 4 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 4 August, USD exchange rate up by 1.03 drams to 367.01 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.74 drams to 422.5 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.0379 drams to 4.526 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.68 drams to 493.33 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 152 drams to 47531 drams. Silver price up by 4.75 drams to 683.97 drams.

Civil Contract faction MP Hayk Konjoryan received 63 votes in favor and 28 against and was elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday.

Before the confirmation vote, the Strong Armenia opposition faction said it would vote against his candidacy, while the other opposition faction, the Armenia bloc, boycotted the vote.

Konjoryan served as the majority leader in the previous parliament.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Tuesday with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

President Tokayev congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on his reappointment as Prime Minister of Armenia and wished him success for the benefit of Armenia and the Armenian people, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.

Prime Minister Pashinyan thanked President Tokayev for the congratulations, as well as for awarding him Kazakhstan’s highest state honor during his official visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2025, emphasizing the importance of the consistent development of Armenia-Kazakhstan relations.

At the same time, the Prime Minister wished President Tokayev success in the legislative elections — the Kurultai elections scheduled for August 23 — highlighting the strategic importance and consistency of the domestic and foreign policies pursued by the Kazakh leader.

Prime Minister Pashinyan invited Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to visit Armenia. The President of Kazakhstan accepted the invitation.

The two leaders also discussed several issues related to the Armenia-Kazakhstan bilateral agenda and touched upon prospects for further developing cooperation.