ATMs, as we know them, are gradually being eliminated everywhere in France. But this is not the end of cash payments: this is what will be put in place.
BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Mutuel, CIC… If you are a customer of one of these major French banks, you may have noticed that your usual automatic teller machines (ATMs) are gradually disappearing. But rest assured, this is not the end of cash. Although they have been in constant decline for years, cash transactions still represent half of personal payments in France, according to a European study by the consulting firm BearingPoint. But their decline is costly for banks, particularly in terms of maintaining these famous ATMs. And even more so in rural areas where they are very little used, or in urban areas where they are very close geographically to each other.
This is why banks have decided to replace them with a more modern, and above all shared, solution. No more ATMs specific to each bank: since 2025, nearly 3,000 have been eliminated little by little throughout France. BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Mutuel and CIC are now joining forces to offer joint ATMs. By the end of 2026, around 7,000 of these new generation devices will be deployed across the country, and will replace all of their existing distributors.
Called “Cash Services”, these distributors are therefore intended to be more versatile: in addition to withdrawing cash, customers of partner banks (and their subsidiaries such as HelloBank or Monabanq for example) will also be able to deposit notes, coins and checks, as well as consult the balance and history of their account, or even make transfers. The advantage is that the machine recognizes your bank when you insert a card: the interface is therefore the same as the one you are used to, and above all, you will no longer have to pay additional fees when withdrawing money from an ATM outside your bank.
But this new “Cash Services” offer could also have disadvantages for consumers. In fact, it is up to local authorities to be responsible for installing and maintaining the machines, as explained The World last year. And the fewer withdrawals, the higher the cost. Consequence? It may well be that some municipalities decide to do away with ATMs, or at least space them out as much as possible.
“We have, in certain cases, concluded that two geographically very close offers no longer made sense with the observed drop in the use of cash. (…) Five hundred withdrawals per month are not enough to generate profitability”indicated Olivier Fournier, president of 2SF, parent company of Cash Services, to our colleagues. While the French remain very attached to cash, and many businesses only offer card payments from a minimum amount, these changes could impact consumers’ access to cash. In the meantime, and to avoid unpleasant surprises, the Cash Services website has provided a map allowing you to locate ATMs near you.
