ATM numbers go south
(25 September 2012 – Australia) The increasing use of eftpos, online and mobile banking is pushing the number of ATM machines lower.
There were 30,511 ATMs across Australia at the end of June, down from a peak of 30,841 in December last year, marking the first big downturn in two decades, Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA) figures show.
While ATMs have drifted back, the number of eftpos machines continues to climb, hitting a record high of 764,549 at the end of June.
Even so, ATMs remain the overwhelmingly dominant delivery channel for cash, with Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) figures showing that more than A$12.4 billion was dispensed by the machines during June.
This compares with just A$1.2 billion pulled from eftpos cash-out facilities over the same month. But when total purchases are added, more than A$15 billion went through the eftpos system, eclipsing the ATM total.
Australia now has about one ATM for every 819 people, behind the US (one for 749 people) and Canada - 555 people per machine.
While ATMs have drifted back, the number of eftpos machines continues to climb, hitting a record high of 764,549 at the end of June.
Even so, ATMs remain the overwhelmingly dominant delivery channel for cash, with Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) figures showing that more than A$12.4 billion was dispensed by the machines during June.
This compares with just A$1.2 billion pulled from eftpos cash-out facilities over the same month. But when total purchases are added, more than A$15 billion went through the eftpos system, eclipsing the ATM total.
Australia now has about one ATM for every 819 people, behind the US (one for 749 people) and Canada - 555 people per machine.
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