There is a shifting trend in Ghana’s banking sector where the industry is currently experiencing a declining importance of ATM among banking customers.
For years, the ATM was the core of everyday banking in the country. It has been a reliable stop for cash, balance checks, and quick transactions. But in 2025, that once-essential machine is quietly fading from customers’ priority list.
The latest 2025 KPMG West Africa Banking Industry Customer Experience Survey is revealing that ATM services have, for the first time in three years, dropped out of the top concerns for retail banking customers.
In its place is digital reliability. The survey report reveals that banking is gradually moving from the “walls” into people’s pockets. As mobile apps and online platforms increasingly handle everything from transfers to bill payments, customers are spending less time at physical machines and more time tapping screens.
Long queues, cash shortages, and out-of-service ATMs are no longer tolerated when a bank app promises 24/7 convenience. The survey shows that one in three retail customers now chooses their primary bank based on app stability and uptime.
In other words, people are not asking, “How many ATMs do you have?” They are asking, “Will your app work when I need it?”
“To sustain progress and strengthen trust, banks should continue to invest in advanced security features as digital usage deepens and fraud risks evolve,” the survey report cited by The High Street Journal noted.
It added, “A noteworthy shift this year is the declining importance of ATM services. For the first time in three years, ATMs no longer feature among the top priorities for retail customers. Instead, the reliability of digital platforms has emerged as a key differentiator, with one in three retail customers selecting their primary bank based on app stability and uptime.”
This, the KPMG report says, marks a decisive transition. “Competitive advantage is no longer about channel breadth, but about digital resilience,” it added.
KPMG further notes that this shift is also driven by trust. As digital usage deepens, customers want platforms that are secure, fast, and dependable. A smooth app experience builds confidence far more quickly than a network of machines that may or may not work when needed.
This shift in customers’ priority list signals that competitive advantage is no longer about spreading ATMs across street corners. It is about digital resilience and investing in robust platforms, advanced security features, and systems that stay online even as fraud risks evolve.
For now, the ATM is not disappearing overnight. Cash still matters. But its role is shrinking.
