Resilience and Viability the at Future of Cash

The Future of Cash Conference 2025 took place from 3–5 November in Warsaw, an especially symbolic location given Poland’s rapid economic growth since joining the EU in 2004 and its central role in supporting Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion.

This backdrop highlighted the conference’s overarching theme: the resilience and future viability of the cash cycle amid global uncertainty.

Rethinking ATM Business Models

A research seminar led by Franz Seitz of the Weiden Technical University of Applied Sciences emphasised the continuing importance of ATMs in maintaining access to cash. Despite public commitments by governments and central banks, ATM numbers are declining in most mature economies. The seminar pinpointed a key structural problem: interchange fees – the primary business model for ATMs – no longer ensure economic sustainability.

Speakers including Guillaume Lepecq of Cash Essentials and Matt Sykes from CPT Group stressed that ATMs remain integral to financial access, especially for under served populations and during crises. However, interchange fees, set largely by card schemes that have limited engagement with the cash cycle, now often work against ATM operators rather than supporting them. The call for reform centred on aligning fees with actual costs, improving transparency, and restoring fairness to the system.