How Ardshinbank is using advanced financial tools to empower a new generation of financial decision-makers. Inteview with Ara Azaryan

Society 6 February, 2018 15:28

In the fast-paced world of modern finance, information is both the greatest asset and the biggest challenge. For financial professionals, the ability to cut through the noise and identify truly market-moving intelligence is the difference between opportunity and obsolescence. At the heart of this revolution is Thomson Reuters Eikon, a platform that is rapidly evolving from a simple data terminal into an intelligent, AI-driven co-pilot for decision-makers.

To understand how these cutting-edge tools are being deployed on the ground, we sat down with Mr. Ara Azaryan, Head of the Retail Sales and Support Division at Ardshinbank CJSC, one of Armenia's leading financial institutions. Ardshinbank has been at the forefront of integrating advanced financial technology, and Mr. Azaryan has been instrumental in forging a deep, cooperative relationship with Thomson Reuters.

Zoya Aleksanyan: Mr. Azaryan, thank you for your time. The financial world is talking about the transformation of desktop platforms. Ardshinbank has been a long-time user of Thomson Reuters solutions. What prompted the bank to deepen its integration of the Eikon platform specifically for investment decisions?

Ara Azaryan: Thank you for having me. You are right, the landscape is changing rapidly. For us at Ardshinbank, the mandate is clear: to provide our clients and our internal teams with the highest caliber of analysis to support their investment strategies. We moved beyond traditional data consumption because the sheer volume of information became overwhelming. We needed a solution that didn't just provide data, but one that could interpret it.

Eikon stood out because it's not static. It is constantly evolving. The recent global introduction of features like Eikon Digest was a game-changer for us. It signaled that Thomson Reuters is committed to using artificial intelligence not as a buzzword, but as a practical tool to solve a real problem: the information overload.

Zoya Aleksanyan: You mention Eikon Digest, which launched globally just a few months ago. For our readers, it uses AI to create a personalized newsletter of sorts. How is a tool like that being implemented at Ardshinbank to support your specific workflow?

Ara Azaryan: Precisely. Think of the traditional workflow: an analyst might spend the first two hours of their day scanning countless news wires, research reports, and data feeds just to get a pulse on the market. That is two hours of reactive, rather than proactive, work. Eikon Digest changes that fundamentally.

Our teams in retail sales and support now start their day with a hyper-personalized snapshot. The AI algorithms sift through terabytes of data from over 8,000 sources, identifying what is significant for the specific portfolios and sectors we cover. It flags critical events—an unexpected earnings announcement, a sudden management shake-up, or a potential M&A move—that might otherwise be buried in the noise.

For a bank like ours, where agility is key, this is invaluable. It allows our experts to move from "what happened?" to "what does this mean for our clients?" almost instantly.

Zoya Aleksanyan: The platform seems to blend human expertise with machine intelligence. How important is that combination for your analysts?

Ara Azaryan: It is absolutely critical. The technology is there to empower our people, not replace them. The AI is brilliant at pattern recognition and volume—it can cluster similar stories from thousands of sources to give a complete picture of an event, and it can identify news significance based on complex algorithms.

However, context and judgment remain human traits. Eikon provides the "Most Read" data, showing us what the market's attention is focused on, and the "Top News" curated by Reuters editors, which provides the human element of journalistic expertise. Our analysts take this

synthesized intelligence and apply their local market knowledge and client understanding. It's a partnership between the machine's processing power and the human's strategic mind.

Zoya Aleksanyan: You have been personally involved in establishing the cooperative framework between Ardshinbank and Thomson Reuters. From your perspective, what does this deep integration say about Ardshinbank's commitment to its clients?

Ara Azaryan: It reflects our core philosophy: that we must continuously invest in excellence. My role in the Retail Sales and Support Division is to ensure our teams have the tools they need to succeed. Establishing a closer collaboration with a global leader like Thomson Reuters wasn't just about acquiring a piece of software; it was about ensuring our teams are working with the same world-class tools as the major global financial centers.

This integration allows us to democratize high-level intelligence across our division. Whether it's a relationship manager preparing for a client meeting or a support specialist analyzing a market trend, they have access to the same AI-driven insights. This consistency elevates the quality of advice and support we can provide across the board.

Zoya Aleksanyan: Looking ahead, how do you see these AI capabilities shaping the future of investment decision-making at Ardshinbank? Are there any milestones on the horizon that you are particularly excited about?

Ara Azaryan: We are only at the beginning of this journey. Thomson Reuters has announced plans to integrate even more data sets—estimates, StarMine data, and deeper analytics—into the personalized feeds. As that happens, our ability to spot correlations and opportunities will become even more refined.

In fact, I can share that in the coming months, we are preparing to participate in a very prestigious event: the Eikon Award 2018 ceremony. I am more than confident that this will be a great opportunity for Ardshinbank to prove its leadership in implementing advanced financial technologies. It will be a moment to showcase the dedication of our team and the strength of our strategic partnership with Thomson Reuters on an international stage.

Ultimately, our goal is to be a truly insight-driven organization. By harnessing platforms like Eikon, we are building a culture where decisions are backed by the synthesis of global

intelligence and local expertise. This is how we build lasting value for our clients and continue to strengthen Ardshinbank's position as a leader in the Armenian financial market.