LINK announces strengthening the Financial Inclusion Programme

The consultation by the Board of LINK on future interchange rates ended on 30th November and the Board is carefully considering the responses.  A final decision is due to be announced before the end of January.

LINK’s independent Board is guided in everything it does by its public interest remit and LINK is resolutely committed to protecting cash access and maintaining the geographical coverage of free-to-use ATMs.  This is vital given the central role cash will continue to play in the lives of many people in the UK, even if overall cash usage declines.

The Board would therefore like to announce, in advance of the main decision, that regardless of any wider changes to interchange it will protect all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM.

These ATMs will still be subject to normal contractual and business pressures but by protecting the interchange at these sites these ATMs should not need to be removed as a result of a more general reduction in interchange rates.