The Central Depository of Armenia was founded on 1 October 1996, it was originally called the "National Centralized Register" and was renamed to the Central Depository of Armenia in April 1999.[2] In August 2000, the CDA became a full member of the International Association of Exchanges, which includes 20 member organizations from CIS member states.[3]
In December 2010, the CDA joined the SWIFT international system.[2][6] In 2011, the CDA signed a cooperation agreement with the National Settlement Depository of Russia. Also in 2011, the CDA organized a joint conference between the European Central Securities Depositories Association and the International Association of Exchanges of CIS countries. It was the first joint event of the two regional stock exchanges and depositaries associations and was held in Yerevan.[7]
In July 2016, Clearstream opened a direct link to the Armenian market, with Armenia becoming the 56th domestic market link. The company stated that this expansion was an important milestone for the Caucasus region.[8]
In 2016, the CDA signed a cooperation agreement with the Central Depository of Belarus. In 2019, the CDA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Central Depository of Kyrgyzstan.[9]
In 2019, the Armenia Securities Exchange and the Central depository of Armenia achieved ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification. In 2022, the Armenia Securities Exchange and the Central Depository of Armenia successfully completed the ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 recertification.[2]
In September 2020, the International Conference of the Association of Eurasian Central Securities Depositories was held in Yerevan.[10]
In June 2021, the Central Depository of Armenia launched the "CDA Online application", making depository services available to investors online. In August 2021, via the CDA Online application, the first shareholders' meeting and e-voting of Acba Bank took place.[2]
The CDA offers shareholders with register keeping services to joint stock companies, in addition to securities account opening and maintenance services to both corporate and individual clients. The CDA's primary objective is to be an efficient clearing and settlement house through the implementation of international best practices within the Armenian market and to provide cross-border financial services, acting as a gateway among regional economies.[12]
Leadership
Vahan Stepanyan has been the Chief Executive Officer of the CDA since April 2006.[13]