Monday, 02/05/2024

The decline of ATMs is gaining momentum

They usually come at night, cause significant damage to buildings and equipment, and steal millions in total. The topic is about criminals who attack ATMs. That these are not isolated incidents is shown by the figures from the past two years. 

Negative Records in ATM Explosions

3, 2, 1, bang – and the ATM reveals a lot. Getting the contents of an ATM is easy for experienced perpetrators. In just a few minutes, they gain access to the valuable contents with crowbars and explosives. What sounds like something from a gripping movie scene has increasingly become a reality. 

In Germany, there were about 496 attempted and completed ATM explosions in 2022. Since counting began in 2005, these criminal acts have reached a new high. The forecast for 2023 isn't much better. An inquiry at the State Criminal Police Offices noted no significant decrease in explosions last year.

Breaking down the number, there are ATM attacks every day in this country. The loot damage amounted to around 30 million euros according to the BKA in 2022.  

ATM Reduction – Faster Than Ever

These costly attacks on devices and sometimes even the branches are certainly a reason why banks reconsider the location of some ATMs. But only one reason. The slow decline of bank branches over years also contributes to the rapid disappearance of ATMs. 

2022 was already the fourth year in a row in which the number decreased – even more than ever before. The determined decrease of nearly five percent meant an end for about 2,500 devices. Speculations for the future are already circulating. According to the Handelsblatt, experts suggest that the pace of reduction could increasingly accelerate in the future. 

Classic Cash Supply Secured – But Evolving

There is no end in sight yet for cash itself. Even though ATMs are becoming fewer, they have not lost popularity. This was shown by the study, which we briefly summarize in our “. Additionally, more and more shoppers are using the cash-withdrawal options at store checkouts.   

Citizens need not worry about these developments: Cash supply in Germany is still secure. However, attention must be extended to the situation of cash actors around financial institutions, trade, or cash service companies in the ongoing discussion. Because cash management can be costly and demanding, presenting significant challenges. Therefore, retailers and cash transport companies should adapt to changing cash processes. 

Utilize Digitalization!

That digitalization can provide a remedy here is hardly surprising to most responsible parties. But what prevents them from implementing it? In 2023, the retail sector, for example, was still at about. A reason could be the relatively large proportion of smaller companies. However, transformation, in general, and software solutions, in particular, offer them opportunities that can mostly be implemented with minimal effort.

Intelligent cash systems such as our ITR Cash Register, for example, are a sensible first step on the urgently needed path towards digitalization, overcoming current hurdles and bringing about a potential efficiency gain. They support retailers in managing changing cash processes and enable them to provide cash services at the checkout. Time savings, transparency, and security are also introduced through another solution: our solution). This maps the entire cash cycle and ensures optimal control and documentation of all processes, whether hardware-supported cash processes in retail branches are in place or not. This ensures cash supply – efficiently and in a timely manner.

Do you want optimized cash processes? Then let us find the right solutions for your company!