ATM cash deposits have doubled this year

2025-12-09 08:37:00, Ekonomi CNA

Cash deposits at ATMs increased again in the third quarter of the year.

According to Bank of Albania statistics, banking sector users made around 663 thousand automatic deposits at ATMs, an increase of 151% compared to the same period last year.

For the entire 9-month period of 2025, the total number of deposits reached 1.47 million. The 9-month figures also show significant growth and the number of deposits has doubled compared to the same period a year ago.

The increase in transactions is at similar levels in value. At the end of the 9-month period, ATM cash deposits were worth 70.7 billion lek, 94% more compared to a year earlier.

The number and value of deposit transactions at ATM terminals has been increasing for the seventh consecutive year. The growth is also being supported by the continuous expansion of the infrastructure of devices that enable this type of service.

Bank of Albania data shows that the number of ATMs enabling cash deposits at the end of 9 months of 2025 reached 427, an increase of 13% compared to the same period last year. Approximately 32% of the total number of ATMs in the country offer the cash deposit service.

Albania is still an economy with a high use of cash in the sale of goods and services. The high use of physical money also creates the need for periodic deposits of money in bank accounts.

Banks are gradually investing in the automation of this service, with the aim of reducing the flow of customers at the cash desks, reducing operational costs, and using bank branches only for those cases where the provision of service by staff is necessary.

At the end of September, the Albanian banking sector offered services through 1028 active ATMs, an increase of 30% compared to a year earlier.

The number of ATMs had been continuously decreasing in the period 2015-2019, mainly due to the decrease in the number of branches, but also due to the decrease in the total number of commercial banks. However, after 2020, also under the impetus of the pandemic, banks increased the number of ATMs (mainly located in premises outside branches), in order to facilitate the flow of operations at the counters.

Another factor that has been driving the increase in the number of ATMs in recent years is tourism. The increase in tourist traffic has necessitated the addition of ATMs where foreign tourists can withdraw cash. ATMs located outside branches, in tourist areas, are usually not offered directly by banks, but are operated according to a business model in partnership with other businesses, which are usually companies that sell ATM equipment.

In this partnership, the bank provides the basic payment infrastructure, i.e., the system, accounting and cash. Meanwhile, the financial institutions provide the ATM equipment and cover operational costs, such as transportation, replenishment, cash insurance, as well as maintain relationships with businesses for ATM location rentals, etc. In the end, the revenues are divided based on the costs of each party./ Monitor