Banks struggle to find spaces for cash dispensers

Batopin, the partnership of Belgium’s four big banks – BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC, ING Belgium and Belfius – is having difficulty finding 106 cash machine spots by the end of 2025.

Although more than 80 have been found, sites in busy locations such as Place Flagey in Ixelles are sadly lacking.

Batopin spokeswoman Julie Kerremans said: “We are making significant progress. Some 83 sites are already found and 66 of them are now operational.”

After six months of searching, no suitable premises have been found for the remaining 23 locations, according to the latest cash.be website update. These include Rue de Brabant (near Place Liedts, Schaerbeek), Place Jourdan (Etterbeek), Ma Campagne (Saint-Gilles) and Altitude 100 (Forest).

For other popular locations, for example at Place du Jeu de Balle in the heart of Brussels’ Marolles district, a site has already been found, but the ATMs have not yet been installed.

One reason for the delay has been the reluctance to rent out spaces that could end up occupied by the homeless or by drug users. This was commonplace for example at the former ATM area of BNP Paribas Fortis’s now closed branch at Place Flagey.

Batopin argues that these potential problems are not the reason for the shortage of locations, although the group does not deny that in winter cashpoint areas, for example on the Toison d’Or, can be occupied by addicts.

“We attach great importance to providing a sense of security. There are challenges in the Brussels metropolitan context,” said Kerremans.

The company is also taking measures to combat the problem: “Our teams clean the ATMs every day and there is constant videosurveillance. There is also an alarm system that can activate an internal siren at any time and a response team is on standby.

"In the event of any long-term problems at ATMs, our security partner Seris has assured us that they can place a security guard at the site."

Several Batopin cash machines in Stib metro stations – including at Porte de Namur in Ixelles, Bourse in the city centre and Horta in Saint-Gilles – are also often surrounded by the homeless or drug users, which can deter people from using them.

However, Stib statistics make clear that their ATM areas are paradoxically safer than other parts of the stations, due to the deterrent effect of videosurveillance.

"If incidents such as aggressive begging behaviour is really disturbing for passengers, our security staff will intervene. But this doesn’t happen very often," said Stib spokesman and social media coordinator Guy Sablon.

“In terms of vandalism, our ATM statistics are not too bad either. We understand that there may be a feeling of insecurity, but this is not based on facts.”

The exact location of ATMs in metros is agreed upon by the Stib with Batopin, based on passenger frequency, technical infrastructure and the number of payment points available above ground. If there is no Bancontact nearby, one will be added underground more quickly.

The drive to find new places for cash machines started earlier this year, when Batopin signed an agreement with the federal government to open new "bank-neutral" ATMs across Belgium. This followed multiple complaints from citizens about the dearth of cash machines in their neighbourhoods, a problem which in many areas has not gone away.

Some people might say that installing more cashpoints is not necessary given the rise of electronic payment systems such as Payconiq. In some locations you can even pay by QR code to light candles in church.

However, this argument is questionable when money is still often essential to pay for items in markets, many cafes are not pleased if customers insist on paying for a coffee by card, and several small shops say you must spend a certain amount – normally €5 or €10 – before a card payment is accepted.