Continued from page 23 By definition, ATM pooling involves transferring ATM ownership and operational responsibility to an expert third party, resulting in significant cost reduction for the individual financial institution, and allowing them to continue serving consumers in locations where low demand would otherwise render an ATM uneconomical. Prime examples of the success of this strategy are the Geldmaat Network in the Netherlands, and Batopin in Belgium. In both cases, several of the country’s largest banks have joined forces through shared ATM infrastructure aimed at optimizing the network and providing a safe and efficient service to their account holders. In short, these community banks are less attached to the headache and heartache of ATM ownership and operations, and more interested in the efficiency and performance of the shared infrastructure. The U.S. ATM Pooling Blueprint: In the U.S., ATM pooling might not yet be on the radar of our country’s largest community banks as it is in Europe, but organizations such as banking associations, leagues, and other membership-based advocate programs create opportunities in the ATM pooling space at the state and regional level. With widespread reach and member bases typically consisting of hundreds of community banks, opening a shared ATM infrastructure program would create significant cost savings, network optimization, and operational efficiencies for participating community banks, while passing along convenience to their account holders. Dolphin Debit (Euronet Worldwide’s North American ATM Services Division) has been “pooling” ATMs since 2005. Currently, the Dolphin ATM Alliance consists of 2,000+ ATMs spread throughout the U.S. With a blueprint already in place, this is a shared infrastructure service model that is poised to rival the ATM pooling initiatives of our foreign banking colleagues. Service models like the Dolphin ATM Alliance combine the operational simplicity and cost-cutting elements of a pure play end-to-end ATM outsourcing solution with the “pooling” effect of shared ATM infrastructure. A combination that effectively solves the ATM puzzle for community banks: less capital investment into the ATM fleet, streamlined ATM operations, an expanded ATM footprint, and seamless adaptation to everchanging regulatory compliance requirements and rapidly advancing ATM technology. For more information, please visit www.dolphindebit.com. In the U.S., ATM pooling might not yet be on the radar of our country’s largest community banks as it is in Europe, but organizations such as banking associations, leagues, and other membership-based advocate programs create opportunities in the ATM pooling space at the state and regional level. www.coloradobankers.org 24
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