NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 18-The number of bank customers who prefer to visit bank ATMs to access cash has continued to dip as more banks move towards digitization.
According to the Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey 2021, customers who preferred the use of ATMs dropped to 9.8 per cent last year compared to 12 per cent in 2020.
The survey done by the Kenya Bankers Association(KBA) further noted that 58.4 per cent of those surveyed prefer mobile banking while those who prefer Internet/Online Banking stand at 20.3 percent.
The shift from traditional brick and mortar services to digital banking was attributed to the challenges introduced by the pandemic and its containment measures which entrenched the use of contactless banking services.
Further, the ease of use of digital banking where you can access banking services from the comfort of your home has continued to influence this shift.
Official data from the Central Bank of Kenya(CBK) shows that the country has 2366 automated teller machines (ATMs) as of December 2021.
This is the lowest ATM count since June 2013 when the country had 2,369 machines, with the reduction reflecting the growing popularity of agents, internet and mobile banking among customers as they search for convenience.
“The general decrease in ATMs is as a result of adoption of mobile and digital banking in the banking industry,” CBK said in its latest annual banking supervisions report.
