LONDON — Retail Banking Research (RBR) has just published the latest edition of its annual western European ATM survey, "ATMs and Cash Dispensers Western Europe."
Defying suggestions that the western Europe ATM market is becoming increasingly saturated, the rate of growth in the installed base in the region has increased for the second year in a row. Although some markets appear to be reaching maturity, rapid growth was still seen in countries such as Turkey, Portugal and even France.
The new RBR survey shows that ATMs in western Europe are becoming more sophisticated in terms of the services offered. Automated note acceptance, for example, now is available at 24,900 ATMs, an increase of more than a third compared to the year before.
The off-site sector continues to be the main growth area in most countries as banks look to reach customers away from the branch. The expansion of ISOs in several countries has brought about a rise in the number of off-site installations. In addition, white label ATMs were installed in Finland and Turkey for the first time in 2008.
The average number of monthly cash withdrawals per machine fell once more in 2007, as the rise in the number of installations continues to have a diluting effect on transaction volumes.
