Tuesday, August 4 2020 20:15

ArmInfo. It is very important for the Armenian economy to develop the adaptive capacities of the business sector in the new situation. Arsen Melkonyan, Deputy CEO at ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank for Business Operations, expressed this  opinion.

"For example, flexibility is needed in terms of the possibilities of  transforming a business into a digital space. We, in turn, as before,  are ready to move forward with our partners step by step or in big  leaps.  ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank has proved more than once that from  the first day of the crisis, we have intensively reacted and, most  importantly, demonstrated a personalized approach to the problems  faced by all our partners. We used a wide range of tools, provided a  credit leave, canceled payments of different types, drew up new  schedules of prolonged repayment. At this stage, the lowest possible  interest rates on loans were involved, given that in the current  situation it is necessary to confront the crisis hand in hand, manage  risks together and, if there are certain difficulties, distribute  them between us and our partners to jointly overcome problems ", he  remarked.

A. Melkonyan, noting that since the beginning of 2020, the  difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic have established new  rules for business, stressed: "In many cases, the difficulties that  have arisen can become the beginning of a new start and new  opportunities for business."

"Initially, we faced certain confusion, which, I think, was related  to a lack of information. The crisis took businesses by surprise, but  after a while the adaptation phase began. During this crisis, the key  foundations and tools for ensuring normal functioning of business  were highlighted and identified: the organization of remote working,  new safety rules, the establishment of other rules of conduct for the  precise organization of the work process, etc. All this helped to a  certain extent to stabilize the situation, "he said.

According to him, in this situation, economic entities can be  conditionally divided into three groups. The first large group  includes those enterprises that are not working now. For example,  those hotels whose activities are mainly related to external tourism.  At this stage, it is unrealistic to expect them to be active.  The  second group includes enterprises and businesses that, in comparison  with the previous indicators, have a certain decline, but in the  current situation, the sustained activity allows them to provide a  certain stability. And the third group consists of business entities  that were not affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and even provided  some growth. We are talking about enterprises that have not faced  difficulties in marketing, and even now do not face difficulties in  this regard. Moreover, the latter even recorded growth, and there are  very good chances for further development.  He believes that  government support programs played a key role in stabilizing the  situation. "But it is important to emphasize that these plans were  not a lifeline of last hope. By and large, all companies have  suffered from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, and we  see these programs as a good opportunity for business growth and  development, and lending on very good terms - 0 % interest rate,  which would be impossible under normal conditions. Business entities  should try to perceive this opportunity not from the position of the  affected party, but as a chance given by these programs for a new  round of development and re-profiling, "he concluded.