The Evolution Of The ATM
What’s the Latest Development?
At a recent event in London, ATM manufacturers presented prototypes of machines that bring the user experience closer in line with modern technology. Diebold’s demonstration model uses a standard tablet interface and only needs a broadband connection to work, which makes it more portable. Wincor Nixdorf has a machine that offers, in addition to the standard ATM options, a profile of the customer’s most common transactions and local bank services available, allowing them more ways to avoid the traditional line for the teller.
What’s the Big Idea?
Although there have been some tweaks, the basic ATM has not seen much change since it first appeared more than 40 years ago, and despite the increase in mobile banking, ATMs will be the preferred method of dispensing cash for some time to come, says Mark Hemingway of the UK’s Payments Council. While manufacturers upgrade to accommodate a wider customer base, they are also looking at new ways to connect people to their cash. For example, Wincor Nixdorf “wants to become the cash agent that allows people in developing countries to convert airtime on their mobile phones to currency to spend.”
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