UAE - Mubasher: The number of automated teller machine (ATMs) operated by banks in the UAE fell by 6.5% or 342 machines in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020 amidst an increasing usage of contactless payment and electronic services due to concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The ATM count was down to 4,937 by the end of Q1-20, compared with 5,279 in the same period a year ago, recent data by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) showed.

Meanwhile, the number of UAE banks' headquarters went down to 21 in Q1-20 from 22 a year earlier, while the number of branches slid to 640 when compared to 733. This is largely ascribed to the merger of the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and Union National Bank (UNB). 

Moreover, the number of electronic banking service platforms for national banks slipped to 33 in Q1-20 from 34.

The number of GCC banks operating in the UAE remained unchanged at four, while the foreign banks' count stood at 21 and their branches levelled down to 74 from 75.