2023-07-24 17:54:10
Big cities might lack ATMs. According to the Banque de France, their number continues to decline in metropolitan France. With a drop of 3.4% in 2022, to 46,249 ATMs, according to a report published Monday by the central bank, the decline has accelerated compared to the 2% decrease recorded in 2021.
Down more than 12% since 2018, the trend should also not be reversed with the project to pool the ATMs of three major French banks, BNP Paribas, Crédit Mutuel Federal Alliance (which also owns the CIC network) and Société Générale.
Major cities in sight
According to the Banque de France, the drop in ATMs particularly affects large cities. “The decrease in the number of distributors is concentrated in the most populated and best equipped cities, reflecting an optimization of the installations with a view to guaranteeing in particular a better territorial network”, however defended the central bank.
At the end of 2025, around 7,000 contact points will remain (which may have one or more automatic machines), compared to some 15,000 distributors currently in service for these four networks. “The evolution of the ATM network naturally follows that of society, and accessibility to cash remains, as was the case in previous years, at an excellent level”, welcomed Maya Atig, director general of the French Banking Federation (FBF), quoted in a press release.
The development of private access points and independent distributors
According to the Banque de France, the metropolis thus had 26,956 private access points at the end of 2022, an increase of 3.9%. “The drop in the number of ATMs is offset by the continuous development, for several years, of private access points to cash”, namely distribution points in shops, further specified the Federation of the Banque de France. But the service is far from the same. In the CA relays of Crédit Agricole for example, the withdrawal cannot exceed 100 euros, explains the bank’s website. Transactions are only accessible to customers of the network to which they belong and can only be done during the opening hours of the merchant in question, and not 24 hours a day like a classic ATM.
Another notable development, the number of independent distributors continues to grow, with 571 points in mainland France, compared to 352 at the end of 2021. Three operators share the market: the Americans Euronet and Brink’s as well as the Swedish Loomis.
Despite everything, the territorial network of distributors remains tight. In fact, 79.2% of the population is less than five minutes by car from the nearest distributor, and 98.9% less than 15 minutes, “stable” rates compared to 2021.
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