The ATMs or Automated Teller Machines installed outside any buildings in Thimphu Thromde are to be removed within a year. The Thromde office has issued a notification to the banks and building owners last week. The notification comes at a time when some the banks have already started removing ATMs as the machine becomes redundant due to the gaining popularity of digital transactions in the country.
The ATMs which are installed outside the buildings in the Thromde area will be removed. According to the Thromde office, the machines which were installed for public convenience in the past are not pleasing to the town’s aesthetics.
Moreover, the office said that these ATMs are prone to risks of burglary and vandalism as they are installed in the open space without much security.
“Now, there are not many ATM users in this digital world. The majority is using Mbob. The existing ATM structures also don’t look that pleasant. So, with the increasing number of ATMs, the town would not look good. We have notified the banks and sent out our notification to the public to remove such existing structures and hereafter no proposals will be approved for the improvement of the town,” said the Thimphu Thrompon Ugyen Dorji.
Besides, ATM users have also decreased over the last few years.
According to records with the Royal Monetary Authority, the country is witnessing a decreasing trend in cash withdrawal and transactions from ATMs every year. The Central Bank said this is despite the increase in the number of ATM terminals and additional features supporting card-less withdrawal using the mobile app on the ATM terminals.
The banks including Bank of Bhutan and Bhutan National Bank said they are reviewing the ATMs installed in the open areas.
“I have asked out a team to do a proper study of how many ATMs have to be removed. We have around twenty-nine ATMs of which maybe around five or six will be in the setback areas,” said BNB’s Chief Operations Officer Hem Kumar Acharya.
Owing to a significant decrease in the number of ATM users over the last few years the Bank of Bhutan removed 10 underutilised ATMs between July and November last year. At over a hundred, BoB has the highest ATMs installed throughout the country.
There are over 250 ATMs across the country installed by the five banking institutions. Of it, more than a hundred are installed in Thimphu alone.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Phub Gyem
