Russia’s ATM Network Shrinks to Its Lowest Level in 15 Years

The number of ATMs in Russia has dropped to a 15-year low. Since 2014, the total count of devices fell from 235,500 to 138,000 by the start of 2026. The decline is driven by a shift toward cashless payments, including the Faster Payments System (FPS), QR-code payments, and biometric authentication. Banks are shutting down locations that became unprofitable due to the costs of rent, security, and cash collection. Hardware obsolescence was accelerated by the exit of NCR and Diebold Nixdorf. A shortage of spare parts forced banks to replace old foreign machines with Russian or Chinese models featuring bill recycling functions.