Just when you thought the latest round of upgrades to your ATM fleet were finished along comes the next big idea - ATM Cash using a Smartphone. Several banks in the US and Australia, and some pretty big players in the ATM manufacturing and transaction processing space have been testing - and rolling out - the latest ATM cash withdrawal technology. So... will your smartphone one day replace your ATM card?
After several years of government pressure Japan’s three biggest banks are beginning to connect their ATM machines to the global network of ATM Operators. The banks resistance to globally connected ATMs has frustrated tourists short of yen. However, with the expected tourism boom from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the banks are examining their ATM operations.
Currently, foreign visitors to Japan find that their overseas cards are useable only at few banks such as the Seven Bank and Japan Post Bank.