ATMIA US Conference

Why banks need to embrace Super ATMs

Bank branches are still stuck largely dealing with repetitive tasks. In order to fully transform their branches, they need to embrace the Super ATM.

Photo: Adobe Stock

February 20, 2026 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

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There have been many names for advanced ATMs, from ATM of the future to financial kiosks to a simpler title — the "Super ATM."

Marvin Bowers, VP of national accounts at Edge One, discussed how operators can transform ordinary ATMs into super devices in a session at the ATMIA event held in Arlington, Texas from Feb. 10 to 12.

Why old ATMs don't cut it anymore

As to why the evolution needs to happen, Bowers said it really boils down to branch congestion and the fact old ATMs cannot keep up with branch demands.

"We talk about the ATM as if it is a solved problem. It's a box on the wall that was there about 50 years ago. When we look at the operational friction in branches, we see that how we defined ATMs has reached its ceiling," he said.

The modern branch has many pain points. It has to handle staffing constraints, operational costs, security concerns and more. While banks want to move tellers to handling financial advice, they can't do that when most of their time is just spent handling repetitive tasks and moving the line along.

"They're not focused on financial advice, they're just trying to keep the line moving," Bowers said of bank tellers.

However, traditional ATMs cannot handle many of the repetitive tasks such as more complex loan payments, transfers, car payments and more. In order to update ATMs, it can be a very slow process as banks have to rely on OEM software dependencies, processor approval and more.

"The ATM has been a locked box, not just physically but architecturally. Certification and release cycles favor stability over adaptability. Infrastructure designed to protect the transaction are preventing innovation," said Bowers.

One key reason for delay in innovation is due to the shared roadmap problem. Banks have so many silos and processes to deal with that it leads to a slow pace of innovation. However, while they wait, branches deal with increased congestion and a declining customer experience. For example, in many rural places, the ATM is the only banking tool available to customers. If that ATM fails, then that customer becomes essentially unbanked.

The Super ATM solution

The solution to this problem is for banks to move to the Super ATM, according to Bowers.

"This isn't just a cash dispenser with fancy skin. It can handle transactions that previously required a teller," he said.

Super ATM cuts out the expensive wait times with direct core integration and terminal handling.

Bowers said it's about "moving away from processor mediation to direct interaction. When the machine talks directly to the core, the institution has total control over the roadmap. If you want to launch a feature, you can go at your own pace, you aren't asking a processor for permission."

With modern terminal handling, banks can control how the ATM operates from day to day with "predictable updates without long freeze periods."

User experience

However, when building Super ATMs, it's absolutely crucial banks maintain a solid user experience. The Super ATM needs a user-friendly UI so that it's easy for customers to perform complex transactions such as split loan payments, transfers from nontraditional accounts and more.

"Customers will only use these capabilities if the experience is flawless. If a customer tries to make a complex deposit, and it feels clunky, they'll just go back to the teller line. If the screen flow is confusing, it becomes expensive and underutilized," said Bowers.

In order to win with Super ATMs, Bowers recommends starting by ensuring the ATM is running at full efficiency and then gradually integrating self-service features at your own pace. This ensures you remain in control of the entire process as you transform your old ATMs into Super ATMs.

About Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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