Financial Times to host first FT Live economic forum in Yerevan

British business publication Financial Times, in partnership with Yerevan-based investment firm Wilco Wealth Management, announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the holding of the 'Building Armenia’s Next Phase of Growth' forum. The event will be the first-ever conference in the prestigious FT Live format to be organized directly within Armenia. The main program is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2026, and will take place at the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, with global digital broadcasting provided for participants from around the world.

The high-level economic conference is intended to bring together leading representatives of the public sector, institutional investors, entrepreneurs, and prominent figures from international financial institutions. The main goal of the meeting is stated as a deep analysis of the medium- and long-term prospects of the Armenian economy, the directions of the evolution of its financial architecture, as well as methods for the effective mobilization of private capital. The sessions will be moderated by Jonathan Wheatley, Financial Times' emerging markets news editor.

The list of confirmed participants and keynote speakers includes Chairman of the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia Martin Galstyan, Head of the Armenian office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Remon Zakaria, CEO of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies Marie Lou Papazian, as well as Chair of the Armenian Institute of Directors and member of the Board of Directors of IDBank Elena Khachvankyan.

General Director of the investment company Wilco Wealth Management Irina Belysheva emphasized the symbolic and practical significance of the choice of venue:

We are proud that, at our initiative, these discussions, conducted with the editorial independence and uncompromising standards of the Financial Times, will take place in Armenia, within the walls of the Matenadaran, which preserves centuries-old Armenian knowledge.

From situational factors to structural resilience

Holding such a representative forum relies on the impressive macroeconomic indicators of recent years. The Armenian economy has demonstrated steady and dynamic expansion, supported by a large-scale inflow of foreign capital, the reception of highly qualified labor resources, and the relocation of foreign commercial structures. Growing investment volumes and the gradual diversification of foreign trade have become additional stimuli for business activity. The positive shifts taking place have also been recognized at the international level: earlier in 2026, leading global rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody's revised the outlook for Armenia's sovereign credit rating to 'positive'.

Nevertheless, experts and organizers emphasize that 35 years after gaining independence, a complex strategic task faces regulators and private business. It is about the inevitable transition from temporary opportunistic gains and unexpected external inflows to systematic and long-term growth in labor productivity. In this regard, key thematic blocks of the agenda will be devoted to the synergy of traditional commercial bank lending with the tools of private equity funds and capital markets.

A separate direction of expert discussions will be the attraction of financial resources and the investment potential of the Armenian diaspora, as well as solving the urgent problem of corporate succession. At the current stage, many Armenian companies are facing the acute issue of competently managing the processes of transferring rights to family assets from the generation of founding fathers to new management. Registration of delegates for in-person attendance in Yerevan and remote connection to the broadcast began on Wednesday, a month before the scheduled opening of the event.