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Automatic "cashiers", ATM cash deposits increased by 70% for the 6-month period

2025-09-05 12:45:00, Ekonomi CNA

Automatic "cashiers", ATM cash deposits increased by 70% for the

Automatic cash deposits at ATMs are increasing for the ninth consecutive year.

According to statistics from the Bank of Albania, a total of 810 thousand cash deposits were recorded at ATMs in the first 6 months of this year. Compared to the same period a year ago, the number of deposits has increased by 70%.

The total value of deposits for the 6-month period reached 37.6 billion lek, an increase of 62% compared to the same period a year ago.

Last year, ATM cash deposits also recorded a strong increase, demonstrating a trend towards automation in banking services related to cash.

In 2024, banking sector customers made 1 million 31 thousand automatic deposits at ATMs, an increase of 34% compared to the previous year. Cash deposits at ATMs were worth 50 billion lek, an increase of 32% compared to the previous year.

The number of ATMs with the function of depositing physical money is also increasing, demonstrating the increase in investments to automate the provision of banking services. Bank of Albania data shows that the number of ATM devices that enabled cash deposits reached 414 in the middle of this year, an annual increase of 11%.

About 34% of the total number of ATMs in the country offer cash deposit services.

The addition of ATMs with cash deposit function is an important development for facilitating the provision of banking services. Cash transactions have been among the main causes of customer flow into bank branches.

The automation of this service through ATMs is gradually easing flows, reducing queues and using bank branches only for those cases where the provision of service by staff is necessary. On the other hand, the increase in ATMs is also accompanied by an update of the technology and the spectrum of services offered by them, (such as, for example, the provision of services such as making subscriptions or payments to third parties).

The use of technologies that automate simple operational processes is, among other things, another way to increase the efficiency of banks and engage human resources in more complex processes.

At the end of June, the Albanian banking sector offered a total of 1,214 active ATMs, up 33% compared to a year earlier. The number of ATM cash withdrawals reached more than 10.9 million in the first six months of the year.

In recent years, growth has been driven particularly by ATMs located in tourist areas of the country, which are primarily intended to provide cash withdrawal services to foreign tourists. These ATMs are usually not provided directly by banks, but are operated under a business model in partnership with other businesses, usually companies that market ATM equipment.

In some cases, in addition to the brand of the company that owns the device, ATMs also carry the logo of the partner bank. However, in some cases these devices are operated without being identified locally with a commercial bank. In this partnership, the bank provides the basic payment infrastructure, i.e., the system, accounting and cash.

Meanwhile, financial institutions provide the ATM equipment and cover operational costs, such as transportation, refilling, cash insurance, as well as maintain relationships with businesses for ATM location rentals, etc. In the end, revenues are divided based on each party's costs./ Monitor