Despite longstanding complaints from citizens about the difficulty of withdrawing cash in Belgium, and assurances from the Federal Government that more ATMs (cash points) will be installed nationwide, banks across the country are still reducing the number withdrawal points.
Last year, Belgian banks once again removed more than 10% of cash withdrawal points, L'Echo reported on Friday. More than 350 ATMs disappeared in the space of a year. In March, the Federal Government concluded an agreement with the financial sector to maintain the number of ATMs.
The two parties agreed that there should be at least one ATM in every municipality by 2025. To do so, the Batopin ATM initiative was agreed by Belgium's four largest banks (Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING, and KBC). It aims to roll out and rapidly expand a network of neutral ATMs across the country.
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However, compared with last summer, fewer than 200 of these generic cash points have been installed, while at the same time the banks are removing their own cash dispensers at a faster rate. Even counting the new ATMs, there are fewer cash points in total. The main reason for the disappearance of Belgium's cash points is that the four major banks are continuing to reduce the number that they operate.
Belfius, KBC, BNP Paribas Fortis and ING have got rid of more than 500 locations served by an ATM bearing their name. This represents a spectacular reduction of just under 30% in one year.
Citizens organisations have highlighted the lack of legal framework to ensure that cash points would be replaced. The Batopin initiative that was proposed as the solution for the many municipalities in Belgium that currently have nowhere to withdraw funds in fact carried no binding commitment, allowing banks to overlook their promise.
