ATMs: Why are there fewer and fewer of them?

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When an ATM closes, it always has very real consequences for the residents of a small town. "We'll have to take the car right away. So we'll have to travel 35 km there and back to do what we used to do there," says a local resident. "There's nothing, it's dead. There's nothing at all in the region," laments a woman in turn.

In France, the number of ATMs fell by 3.5% last year, from just over 44,000 in 2023 to 42,578 in 2024. By comparison, there were 15,000 more 10 years ago. The first explanation: the upsurge in card and connected device payments, a dematerialization that should also lead to a decrease in the number of agencies in the coming years.

"Today, you have some bank branches that ultimately don't even see their customers once a year. The reality is that everything is happening electronically. By 2030, you have targets that could be a 15 to 20% reduction in the number of bank branches, within 5 years," explains economist Christopher Dembik. In 2024, the proportion of cash payments fell below 50% for the first time.