“There is no consensus among the government, and complaints are increasing. Even the SNCB is refusing payment in cash. Therefore, I plan to propose a legislative initiative to address this issue, and I am confident it will have the support of the majority parties,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister. “It’s hypocritical to demand more ATMs while not ensuring that citizens can use cash in all businesses.”
The government’s agreement with the financial sector federation Febelfin regarding the distribution of ATMs was discussed with Vanessa Matz, Reccino Van Lommel, and Gaby Colebunders questioning the Deputy Prime Minister. Many criticized the agreement, calling for hearings on consumer protection. Despite this, Pierre-Yves Dermagne defended the protocol, which provides an improvement in coverage rates for ATMs by 2025.
“There was no consensus in the government. Now, the complaints are increasing. We see that even the SNCB refuses payment in cash. It therefore seems appropriate to me to come back with a legislative initiative in this area. I will return to the government soon with an initiative on this and, from what I have heard, I am convinced that it will have the support of the majority parties,” he said. “We cannot on the one hand ask for more ATMs, but then not want to guarantee that citizens can use their cash in all businesses.”
The Deputy Prime Minister was questioned by Vanessa Matz (Les Engagés), Reccino Van Lommel (Vlaams Belang) and Gaby Colebunders (PTB) about the agreement concluded on March 31 between the government and the financial sector federation Febelfin concerning the distribution of ATMs in the territory.
“It’s a capitulation in the open country in relation to the banks”, launched Ms. Matz, calling to audition associations such as Financité, Test-Achats or even Okra (defense of seniors). “The banks are doing as they please. This slightly modified version (of the project called ‘Batopin’, editor’s note) will only make the situation worse,” added Mr. Colebunders.
Pierre-Yves Dermagne challenged these analyses. “A marked improvement in the coverage rate compared to the situation at the end of 2021 is provided for by the protocol, particularly in Wallonia”, he defended himself. “We will go from 79.52% of the population within 5 km of a distributor by road in rural areas in 2021 to 81.99% in 2025, and this despite the drop in 2022. (…) Concretely , while the initial plan for the sector called for 2,162 locations and 3,774 ATMs in 2025, with the protocol, it is 2,369 locations and 4,061 ATMs until at least the end of 2027.
As the government and financial sector work towards increasing access to ATMs across the country, concerns have been raised about the impact on those who rely on cash payments. Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne has announced plans to introduce legislation to ensure citizens can continue to use cash in all businesses. Meanwhile, the SNCB will soon be moving towards a cashless payment system, with paying for your train ticket in cash on board soon to become a thing of the past. While Dermagne has defended the agreement with Febelfin, calling it a marked improvement in coverage, critics have called for greater consultation with groups such as Financité, Test-Achats or Okra to ensure that the needs of all citizens are met.