Banks ponder selling ATMs

Banks are now considering the sale of their networks of ATMs located away from branches, in an attempt to further reduce operating costs.

These are the so-called off-site automatic teller machines – i.e. those placed outside the banking network, such as in department stores, supermarkets etc, but also in remote places throughout Greece, which have no commercial interest for the banks, but serve the local clientele.

Apart from those located in busy, mainly commercial areas or in areas of high tourism traffic – hotels, metro stations – which are profitable, there is a number of off-site ATMs located for example in hospitals, municipal points and others that serve remote islands and areas of the country and their maintenance is loss-making for banks.

The problem in this case is that their sale should ensure their continued operation in order to continue serving the residents of those areas, which cannot be discounted. A second major problem is that their sale will likely lead to an increase in the fees paid for interbank transactions by the residents of those areas and therefore the ATM network will cease to be a point for cheap transactions, especially for those areas that are served by banks as special cases and are currently exempt from charges.