ArmInfo. The most fascinating ideas are not always created in offices. Sometimes, they emerge in tents, among discussions and numerous startups. This year, Seaside Startup Summit once again brought together hundreds of people around a single goal: creating tomorrow's technological solutions.      IDBank also presented its platform among the innovative solutions. On the Summit stage, Hmayak Avanesyan, Commercial Head of Rate.Trading, spoke about the platform's capabilities and introduced a new approach to foreign exchange trading in Armenia.      “Rate.Trading is a new foreign exchange platform in Armenia. It allows users to buy and sell nine types of currencies at favorable rates. The platform also enables both individuals and legal entities to submit their own exchange rate offers to the Bank, making conversion conditions more flexible and advantageous,” emphasized Hmayak Avanesyan, Commercial Head of Rate.Trading.      Rate.Trading offers a number of key advantages:

ArmInfo.The first preliminary court hearing in the criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II is scheduled for 4:00 PM on August 7 and  will take place in Etchmiadzin (15 St. Gregory the Illuminator  Street, Courtroom 1). Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan announced this on his  Facebook page.

ArmInfo.  Currently, the number of convicted inmates in the country's penitentiary  institutions exceeds the number of remand prisoners by 150-160. RA  Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan told reporters on July 30.

ArmInfo. The Armenian government has agreed to meet with a group of drivers whose licenses have been revoked.

ArmInfo.Green Rock and Hyatt Hotels Corporation have signed an agreement to introduce the internationally renowned premium hotel brand Hyatt Regency Dilijan to Armenia. The hotel will become the first Hyatt Regency property in the country and will be developed in Dilijan.

ArmInfo. A new case of food poisoning at a public catering facility has been identified in Armenia's Lori Province. On July 27, 2026, the Lori Regional Center of the Food Safety Supervision Authority received a verbal report of food poisoning. A large wedding was taking place at the Lori Peak restaurant in the village of Chochkan.

ArmInfo. The Prosecutor General's Office is demanding the confiscation of 22 real estate properties from the second president of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and persons associated with him, 19 of which have an average market value of AMD 11,154,790,000, as noted in a statement issued by the supervisory body.

ArmInfo. The Artsakh Tourism and Culture Development Agency has urged Marriott International to remove all travel offers to Shushi and Stepanakert from the Marriott Bonvoy Activities platform.

ArmInfo. The Artur Tarkhanyan Center museum has condemned the Armenian government's initiative to remove the old Zvartnots Airport building from Yerevan's State List of Immovable Historical and Cultural Monuments  and terminate its legal status as a protected site.  According to the museum's press service, the structure is a globally recognized masterpiece of modern Armenian architecture. "Numerous publications have highlighted this unique structure, emphasizing its exceptional architectural value and significance," the museum stated. "Only seven similar airports remain worldwide, and all are protected by the state as vital architectural and cultural heritage sites, even when no longer in active use." The museum asserts that the historic terminal could be modernized to meet international standards.

ArmInfo. In the heart of Yerevan, on the rooftop of the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, Khachaturian Rooftop opened with the support of IDBank, turning one of the capital's most beautiful rooftops into a new venue for summer cultural evenings, concerts, and unforgettable gatherings.      With this collaboration, IDBank launched a series of anniversary events dedicated to its 35th anniversary.  

ArmInfo.  In their prime working years (30-35), women perform 4-5 times more unpaid work than  men. This was reported by Tigran Jrbashyan, Partner. Head of  Management Advisory Service at America Advisory, while presenting the  results of the "National Transfer Accounts of Armenia" study,  conducted with the support of UNFPA (UK contribution).

ArmInfo. Total coliform bacteria have been detected in two re- sampled drinking water samples in the city of Byureghavan, located a half-hour drive from Yerevan, as reported by the press service of the National Center for Disease  Control and Prevention (NCDC) of the Ministry of Health of Armenia.

ArmInfo.IDBank announces the launch of events celebrating its 35th anniversary. For the first time in the history of the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra will leave its traditional stage and perform under the open sky at Khachaturian Rooftop.

ArmInfo.  The number of crimes involving the use of firearms in the Ararat region decreased by 60% in the first half of 2026. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia reported this to ArmInfo. 

ArmInfo. Thirty military deaths were recorded in the Armenian Armed Forces during the first seven months of 2026, according to research by the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (HCA).

ArmInfo.A 3.5-hectare land plot located in the village of Arindj, Abovyan community, overlaps with the area occupied by a 110 kV high-voltage power  transmission line, as well as the land plot designated for its protection zone, as reported by the Investigative Committee of Armenia, citing the results of an expert assessment conducted from June 5, 2025, to June 10, 2026.

ArmInfo.  The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 44 to 7 on Wednesday, July 22, to call on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian hostages, adopting an amendment to H.R. 9087, the House Foreign Service Act. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)-  backed amendment, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice Chair  Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) with the support of Committee Chairman Brian  Mast (R-FL), builds on its favorable consideration by the Committee  on June 10.

ArmInfo. The financial and digital literacy courses organized by Idram and IDBank made their next stop in the Syunik province. Through the partnership between the Davidbek Games Foundation, Idram, and IDBank, the annual pan-Armenian competition-festival took on a new dimension this time.

ArmInfo.  A complaint has been filed with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the case of former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister and philanthropist Ruben  Vardanyan, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Azerbaijan.  This was stated in a statement by Siranush Sahakyan, attorney and  president of the Center for International and Comparative Law, who  represents Armenian prisoners at the ECHR. Her statement was  published on Vardanyan's official social media pages. Saakyan stated  that the complaint regarding the case of Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen  of the Republic of Armenia currently held in the Umbaki Penitentiary  Complex in Azerbaijan, was filed with the ECHR on July 19, 2026.

ArmInfo.The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies has celebrated its 15th anniversary.