# ArCa Pay > Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arca-pay > research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07 > Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards Specifications: - [ArcaPay — Arca](https://arca.am/arcapay/) - [ArCa Pay launch — BM.GE](https://bm.ge/en/news/armenia-launches-new-arca-pay-system-for-instant-money-transfers-via-phone-number) ## Overview > **Note on classification.** This entry was originally bucketed as a QR standard, but arca pay is **not a QR-symbol standard** — it is an instant payment settlement rail. Reclassified as `Instant payment`. The wiki shows no playground because there is no QR payload to encode; the slug is retained to avoid breaking incoming links. **ArCa Pay (ArcaPay)** is **Armenia's national instant money-transfer system using phone-number addressing**, launched **8 November 2024 by Armenian Card CJSC (Arca)** [1][1], [2][2], [Armenia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AM). The platform enables **instant transfers between clients of Armenian banks + payment companies using only the recipient's phone number** — eliminating the need to know banking details. **Initial participating banks: Ameriabank, Evocabank, Converse Bank** with subsequent expansion to **Ardshinbank, AraratBank, Armeconombank, Byblos Bank Armenia**. The structural distinction: **ArCa Pay clients can choose the account type (current, card, or other) to which funds will be directed** — flexible recipient-side account-targeting unusual in peer phone-addressed payment systems. Plus **lower transfer fees compared to inter-card transactions** — adoption-driver pricing. ArCa Pay is **a companion to [ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr)** (Armenia's national unified QR launched **30 September 2024**) — Arca's two-product national-payment-modernisation strategy: instant transfers (ArcaPay) + unified QR (ArcaQR). **ArCa is supervised by the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)**. The Bank of Georgia + Ameriabank Memorandum of Understanding signals **potential Caucasian regional payment-system integration** — Armenia-Georgia cooperation. Together with **[Shetab](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/shetab)** (Iran), **Mada** (SA), and other major MENA + Caucasian payment systems, ArCa Pay represents emerging regional payment-system maturity. ## History **Background — Armenian payment landscape pre-2024** [Armenia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AM): - **Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)** — central bank. - **Armenian Card CJSC (Arca)** — National Payment System with 25+ year history. - **DRAM** — Armenia's domestic card scheme. **8 November 2024 — ArCa Pay launches** [2][2]: - Armenian Card introduces ArCa Pay system. - 3 initial participating banks: Ameriabank, Evocabank, Converse Bank. **Subsequent expansion** [3][3]: - Ardshinbank, AraratBank, Armeconombank, Byblos Bank Armenia join. **[ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr) companion launch 30 September 2024** [ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr): - Unified national QR product complementing ArcaPay. **Bank of Georgia MoU** [[armenpress]]: - Caucasian regional payment-system integration potential. ## Technical specification ArCa Pay is **Arca-operated Armenian instant money-transfer system with phone-number addressing** [1][1], [2][2]: | Layer | Description | |---|---| | **Operator** | **Armenian Card CJSC (Arca)** | | **Regulator** | **Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)** | | **Launch** | **8 November 2024** | | **Currency** | AMD (Armenian dram) | | **Identifier** | **Phone number** | | **Account-type flexibility** | Recipient chooses current / card / other | | **Fees** | Lower than inter-card transactions | | **Initial participants** | Ameriabank, Evocabank, Converse Bank | | **Subsequent** | Ardshinbank, AraratBank, Armeconombank, Byblos Bank Armenia | | **Companion** | **[ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr)** (national unified QR, 30 Sep 2024) | **Recipient-side account-type flexibility** [2][2]: - Distinctive feature: recipient can specify current/card/other account for incoming funds. ## Use cases **P2P phone-number transfers** [1][1]: Cardinal use. **Cross-bank instant** [2][2]: Across participating Armenian banks + payment companies. **Lower-fee alternative to inter-card** [2][2]: Cost-friendly competitive pricing. **Recipient-side account-targeting** [2][2]: Distinctive flexibility. **Cross-border (potential Bank of Georgia MoU)** [[armenpress]]: Future Caucasian integration. ## Implementations & ecosystem **Operator**: **Armenian Card CJSC (Arca)**. **Regulator**: **Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)**. **Initial participating banks (3)**: Ameriabank, Evocabank, Converse Bank. **Subsequent**: Ardshinbank, AraratBank, Armeconombank, Byblos Bank Armenia. **Companion**: **[ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr)** (Sep 30, 2024). **Regional MoU partner**: **Bank of Georgia + Ameriabank**. ## Fun facts - **8 November 2024 launch**: 1 month after [ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr) (30 September 2024) — Arca's coordinated two-product rollout. - **3 → 7+ banks participating**: Substantial Armenian-banking-sector adoption. - **Recipient-side account-type flexibility**: Distinctive feature. - **Lower fees than inter-card**: Adoption-friendly pricing. - **Bank of Georgia MoU**: Caucasian regional integration potential. - **Arca 25+ year heritage**: ArcaPay leverages Arca's longstanding national-payment-system role. - **Companion to ArcaQR**: Coordinated Arca product strategy. - **CBA-supervised**: Central-bank-supervised but not operator (bank-coordinator model). ## Comparison | Feature | ArCa Pay (AM) | [ArcaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/arcaqr) (AM companion) | [Plin](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/plin) (PE) | [Bizum](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bizum) (ES) | [MIA QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mia-qr) (MD) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Operator | Arca | Arca | Bank consortium | Bizum SL | NBM (central bank) | | Launch | **8 Nov 2024** | 30 Sep 2024 | Jan 2020 | Oct 2016 | Mar 2024 | | Identifier | Phone number | QR scan | Phone number | Phone number | Phone number | | Recipient account-type choice | **Yes (distinctive)** | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | | Cross-border partner | Bank of Georgia MoU | Bank of Georgia MoU | n/a | None | SEPA (Oct 2025) | ## Status **Active, growing** [1][1], [2][2]: - **Arca operator** since 8 November 2024. - **7+ participating Armenian banks**. - **Companion to ArcaQR**. - **CBA-supervised**. - **Bank of Georgia MoU** regional ambition. ## Sources [1]: https://arca.am/arcapay/ "ArcaPay — Arca" [2]: https://bm.ge/en/news/armenia-launches-new-arca-pay-system-for-instant-money-transfers-via-phone-number "ArCa Pay launch — BM.GE" [3]: https://news.am/eng/news/851885.html "Armenian Card unveils ArCa Pay — News.am" [armenpress]: https://armenpress.am/en/article/1235339/amp "Arca + Bank of Georgia + Ameriabank MoU" - [1] [ArcaPay — Arca][1] - [2] [ArCa Pay launch — BM.GE][2] - [3] [Armenian Card ArCa Pay — News.am][3] - [Armenia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AM) `reports/countries/AM-armenia.md` ## Deployments Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`): - **AM** — [AM-armenia.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AM)