Our management

Vakhtang Abrahamyan

CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board

Vakhtang Abrahamyan was born on February 14, 1975.

Vakhtang Abrahamyuan is a senior banking and financial sector executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in central banking, financial infrastructure, and emerging digital finance.

He served as Chief Executive Officer of Fastex from November 2022 to September 2025, leading the company’s strategic transformation in the fields of Web3 and digital assets.

From December 2025 to April 2026, he held the position of BoD member at Unibank OJSC and served as Senior Advisor to the CEO at Grant Thornton Armenia during the same period, contributing to the implementation of initiatives in strategic advisory, corporate governance, and financial sector development.

Prior to his role in the private sector, Vakhtang Abrahamyan spent nearly three decades at the Central Bank of Armenia, where he was appointed Deputy Chairman in 2015. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in shaping Armenia’s modern financial system, overseeing the development of payment infrastructure, digital transformation processes, strengthening financial stability frameworks, and advancing the regulatory environment in line with international standards.

His leadership extended beyond the Central Bank into the broader financial ecosystem. Vakhtang Abrahamyan chaired and served on the boards of key national financial institutions, including the country’s Card Processing System (Arca), Credit Bureau (ACRA), the Deposit Guarantee Fund, and the Office of the Financial Ombudsman. In these roles, he directly contributed to the development of core financial market infrastructure, the strengthening of trust in the financial system, and the improvement of access to financial services.

As a recognized expert in the field of international financial cooperation, Vakhtang Abrahamyan has worked extensively with global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as with peer central banks. He chaired the Payments Committee of the Eurasian Economic Union member central banks and served on the Board of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, contributing to the shaping of the global dialogue on financial inclusion, payment innovations, and regulatory evolution.

He holds a degree in Management from Yerevan State University of Economics and has completed advanced studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He has also completed executive programs at Columbia Business School and the University of Cambridge, focusing on leadership and digital transformation.

Vakhtang Abrahamyan is a certified expert in the fields of risk management, IT governance, and audit (CRISC, CISA, CGEIT, CRMA) and has lectured extensively on topics including risk management, cybersecurity, and business continuity. In recognition of his contribution to the financial sector, he was awarded the Second-Degree Medal For Services to the Motherland by the President of the Republic of Armenia.

Karen Sargsyan

First Deputy CEO

Born on April 06, 1968 in Yerevan, Armenia.

1991: Graduate of Yerevan Institute of National Economy
1991-1993: Tira Commercial Enterprise.
1994-1998: Post-graduate of the Institute of National Economy, Finance and Loans Department.
1994-2004: Ardshinbank OJSC, Head of the Division, Head of the Department thereafter.
2004-2006: Deputy Minister of the RA Trade and Economic Development.
February 2006 – December 2016: Chairman of the Executive Board of the Armenian Development Bank OJSC.
24 February 2017: Deputy CEO of ARARATBANK OJSC.

November 1, 2019 – February 23, 2020: Acting CEO of ARARATBANK OJSC

February 24, 2020 to present: First Deputy CEO of ARARATBANK OJSC

Marital status: married, two children․

Bagrat Tshzmachyan

Deputy CEO

Born on October 07, 1966 in Yerevan, Armenia.
1984-1991: Graduate of Yerevan Institute of National Economy, Finance and Loans Department.
1985-1987: Joined Soviet Army.
1983-1986: Table tennis coach.
1987-1991: Sports coach.
1991-1992: RA Ministry of Food Industry, Head of the Brokerage Services in Commercial Center.
1992-1994: Armenian State Commercial Bank, senior economist in FX Operations Department.
1994-1996: Armeconombank, Deputy Head of Foreign Currency and Securities Transactions Department, Head of International Operations Division.
1996-1997: Armeconombank, Head of Foreign Currency and Securities Transactions Department.
1997: Ardshinbank CJSC, Head of Division of Stock Exchange Transactions under Fund Department.
1998: Ardshinbank CJSC, Head of Foreign Currency and Securities Transactions Division.
1998-1999: Ardshinbank CJSC, Deputy Head of Department of Fund Operations
1999: Armagrobank OJSC Central Office, Coordinator of the operations executed on the financial market.
2000: Armagrobank OJSC, Head of the Department of Resource Management and Bank Operations.
2000-2001: Armagrobank OJSC, Director, Head of the Department of Bank Operations and Cash Flows Management
2001-2002: Armagrobank OJSC, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board
2002-2010: Anelik Bank CJSC, Deputy CEO
2010-2013: Anelik Bank CJSC, First Deputy CEO

Marital status: married

Mher Grigoryan

Deputy CEO

Born on 11 June 1981

Education

Qualification

Work Activity

Military Service

2002-2004 | First sergeant

Teaching Experience

2012 - 2020 | Trainer | American University of Armenia, Continuing Education Program

Languages

Armenian, English, Russian

Marital Status

Married, has two sons

Anahit Vardanyan

Chief Accountant

Born on February 27, 1986, in Ashtarak, Armenia

2007: Graduate of Armenian State University of Economics, Chair of Financial Accounting, Accounting and Audit Department

October 2008: Specialist in Reporting and Analysis Division, Accounting Department of AraratBank OJSC

2010: Leading Specialist in Reporting and Analysis Division, Accounting Department of AraratBank OJSC

2012-2014: Head of Regional and Structural Subdivisions Accounting Service Division, Accounting Department of AraratBank OJSC

2014 - May 2023: Head of Reporting and Analyses Division, Accounting Department of AraratBank OJSC

May 2023: Acting Chief Accountant, AraratBank OJSC

Member of Chamber of Auditors and Expert Accountants of the Republic of Armenia

Zaruhi Melkonyan

Head of the International Operations Department

Born on November 13, 1968 in Yerevan, Armenia.
2006 to present: Head of the International Operations Department, ARARATBANK OJSC.

2004-2007: Chief Accountant at Alfa-Food Service LLC, Surb Nerses Mets Medical Centre, Yerevan-Broker LLC.
1998-2004: Chief specialist of foreign currency operations at Credit-Yerevan Bank OJSC.
1992-1998: Chief specialist of the International Transactions Department at Ardshinbank OJSC.
1998: Graduate of the Yerevan State Institute of Economics, Faculty of Finance and Credit.
1992-1996: Postgraduate at the Institute of Informatics and Automation Problems adjacent to the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.
1990: Graduate of the Yerevan State University, Faculty of Chemistry.
Marital status: married, two children.

Karen Hakobyan

Head of the Legal Department

Born on August 04, 1984 in Yerevan, Armenia.
2006: Graduate of the Law Faculty of the French University Foundation in Armenia.
March-June 2006, June 2008-December 2010: Legal Department of the Central Bank of Armenia.

December 2010 – October 2011: Advisor to the CEO of AraratBank OJSC.
October 2011 to present: Head of the Legal Department of ARARATBANK OJSC.
March 2015 to present: Executive Board member of ARARATBANK OJSC.
Marital status: married.

Serob Vardanyan

Head of Risk Management Department

Date of birth: February 28, 1987

Education

2008-2010 | Master of Commerce | Armenian State University of Economics

2004-2008 | Bachelor of Economics and Marketing | Armenian State University of Economics

2002-2004 | Quantum College, Yerevan

Professional Experience

Military Service

2010-2012 | Senior Officer | RA Armed Forces

Marital status

Married with two children.