The number of transactions at bank ATMs around Taiwan reached a record 824 million last year, with the total transaction amount reaching NT$10.14 trillion (US$302.82 billion), according to statistics provided by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC).
As of the end of last year, a total of 27,363 ATMs were in use across the nation, an increase of 256 from a year ago.
The total value of transactions breached the NT$10 trillion mark for the first time since the financial crisis in 2009, according to the statistics.
Chinatrust Commercial Bank (中國信託商業銀行) has 5,505 ATMs, accounting for 20 percent of the total, while Chunghwa Post (中華郵政) and Taishin International Bank (台新銀行) own 3,237 and 3,107 respectively.
The increase in the number of ATM transactions can be attributed to the additional functionality of ATMs and the growing number of the machines, an FSC official said.
Free ATM transaction services offered to buyers by online shopping Web sites and to salary earners by financial institutions have also contributed to the increase in the number of ATM transactions, a senior banking executive said.
The total number of debit cards issued in Taiwan was 185 million as of the end of last year, compared with 178 million a year ago. A total of 91.05 million debit cards were in circulation over the past six months, compared with 87.81 million a year ago.
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