ATMs dispense vouchers instead of cash

UK-based KAL has created RTMs – Retail-Teller Machines – that don't house or dispense any cash, offering vouchers instead.

The Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank in Japan has already removed plastic cards from the cash machine process with its biometric ATMs. Now, UK-based KAL has created RTMs – Retail-Teller Machines – that don’t house or dispense any cash, offering vouchers instead. Rather than being placed on the high street, RTMs are located in individual stores and provide users with a voucher to be used on site. The money is transferred digitally when the retailer registers receipt of the voucher. The company believe that this would be especially useful for remote areas where banks are scarce and cash has to be delivered to ATMs, which require maintenance and risk being a target for criminals. The RTMs reduce the need for transporting cash, reduce the amount of hard money kept on site at stores and mean that shoppers need only head to their desired store instead of having to visit a cash machine first, increasing footfall for retailers. Additionally, production of the machines costs a tenth of the price of regular ATMs, KAL says. The video below explains how the process works: The RTMs provide benefits for consumers, retailers and banks. KAL has launched its product to be available around the globe – could your business benefit from such a device? Spotted by: Tracy Chong