Europe and Emerging Markets Roadshow 2026

Sponsored by

A Spanish Perspective on the Need to Guarantee Access, Ensure Resilience and Handle Digital Threats. 

A presentation of original LINK research which looks a cash acceptance and why retailers may keep still accept it or not in the UK and then looking wider at a range of countries across the world which are looking to protect cash both for day to day spending and as a contingency in case other payment systems fail.

As the payments landscape evolves, the narrative around cash is often dominated by decline in advanced economies. Yet new evidence from the Cash Resilience Strategy Initiative (CRSI) conducted in early 2026 reveals a far more complex and strategically important picture.

This presentation shares early cross-country insights from central banks participating in the CRSI — a global research initiative examining cash usage trends, infrastructure pressures, and the long-term outlook for physical currency. The data highlights a growing divergence between regions where cash use is structurally declining and those where demand remains strong or is even increasing. This divergence has major implications for ATM networks, cash access strategies, infrastructure investment, and operational resilience.

Beyond usage trends, the findings expose the operational realities behind cash resilience: infrastructure strain, cost pressures, digital substitution effects, and the growing need for robust measurement frameworks. As regulators, operators, and technology providers rethink the future of cash access, the CRSI evidence base helps move the conversation from assumption to strategy.

The session will translate central bank perspectives into actionable insights for the ATM and cash ecosystem — helping industry leaders understand where risks, opportunities, and long-term relevance lie.

Maintaining a robust network of distributed cash access points is increasingly challenging given the confluence of increasing costs and declining net interchange. Interchange was originally intended to serve as a cost reimbursement mechanism to ensure appropriate funding for cash access networks. This practice has changed significantly over the past decade, to a point where net interchange -- published interchange less network fees -- comes nowhere near the unit cost structure of an ATM network. As a result, ATM deployers, including both Banks and ISOs have instituted additional direct to consumer fees to supplant interchange. Governments and regulatory authorities have responded with new requirements to either prevent or cap these fees. The industry must address this dynamic constructively and head-on if the maintenance of distributed cash access points is a critical infrastructure element of the payment system.

Sponsored by LINK ATM Scheme

As the UK continues to lead globally in regulating and safeguarding access to cash, we are seeing a pivotal shift: cash is no longer a default payment method but a deliberate choice made by customers and businesses who value control, reliability, and inclusion. New research by NatWest, a leading UK high street bank, reveals that cash usage is increasingly driven by attitudes, not demographics, with digitally confident customers actively choosing cash for budgeting, community spending, and interpersonal payments. With three quarters of UK adults still using cash at least occasionally and more than half of businesses reporting that cash remains a meaningful means of payment, the question is not whether cash is declining, but how we collectively ensure it remains accessible, sustainable and supported for those who rely on it. Find out how NatWest – and the UK industry - is responding to this evolving demand through new shared industry solutions and targeted investment. This includes NatWest’s leadership role in Cash Access UK, delivering over 200 banking hubs with our industry partners and expanding deposit taking services, alongside major upgrades to our 5,000 strong ATM and self service estate. All helping to ensure the UK’s cash system remains efficient, modernised and fit for the future.

This panel will position cash as critical infrastructure in a volatile environment, with geopolitical tensions in West Asia underscoring the need for resilient, always-available access. The discussion will focus on how cash and ATM networks perform under stress, with a practical and forward-looking exchange between banks, ATM operators, and infrastructure experts.

Sponsored by: Serquo

As ATM networks grow in complexity, testing processes remain one of the most resource-intensive — and often underestimated — bottlenecks for operations teams. Manual testing cycles slow down deployments, increase the risk of human error, and put pressure on already stretched teams.

This interview-style session explores how Euronet Worldwide tackled this challenge in practice: what drove the decision to rethink their testing approach, how automation was introduced into their workflows, and what the impact looked like for their teams day-to-day.

The conversation is practitioner-focused — less about technology for its own sake, more about what actually changes on the ground when testing becomes faster, more reliable, and less dependent on manual effort.

The presentation explores how the ATM has moved from being a legacy cash box to becoming the most critical physical touchpoint for digital-first banks. It combines global data from KAL’s 2025/2026 ATM Software Trends Report with the practical application seen across case studies.

TNS as a global network and infrastructure provider to many of the global ATM deployers and processors, have a unique insight into their customer behaviour and how that has evolved into 2026. TNS will identify what are the latest demands on their services and what is driving those changes.

Including key current trends we are seeing generally such as:
    • Globalisation - key market players are entering new markets at pace
    • FI outsource adoption brings a greater need for observability 
    • Cloud adoption is driving opportunities for providers of scheme and HSM bricks and mortar based services
    • Expansion of deposit capability across the industry

In addition TNS will provide insight into what makes a high-performing ATM network, including these key take aways:

    1. Learn what operational silence is and why it lays the foundation for service excellence
    2. Availability is still the critical metric, but is that enough in 2026?
    3. How have ATM network vendors dealt with the globalisation of ATM key players

Sponsored by LINK Scheme, Ltd.

Across Europe, the traditional bank branch model is being redefined by two parallel forces: the steady reduction of physical networks and the growing adoption of digital banking. 
Yet this transition is not leading to a purely digital future. Customers, institutions, and policymakers are increasingly focused on a more complex challenge: how to ensure accessible, trusted, and continuous financial services across territories, communities, and use cases.  In this evolving landscape, the branch is no longer just a place, and self-service is no longer just a machine. Financial access is becoming a hybrid infrastructure that combines physical touchpoints, digital channels, remote assistance, and intelligent orchestration.

This session explores how branch models are evolving from static physical footprints into more flexible access networks designed around proximity, service continuity, and operational sustainability.   It will frame the strategic shifts shaping this transformation and then move into a concrete example that illustrates how a hybrid service model can extend access, preserve human interaction, and support new forms of banking presence.

As digital banking continues to evolve, cash remains a critical component of the global financial ecosystem. In this panel discussion, industry leaders will explore how utility ATM networks are bridging the gap between physical currency and digital services—ensuring broad access, operational efficiency, and resilience across markets. Together, they will share insights on how shared ATM models are enabling financial inclusion, supporting both neobanks and traditional institutions, and redefining the role of cash in an increasingly digital world. Key Discussion Points The role of cash in a digital-first economy Why cash continues to be essential for consumers, businesses, and financial resilience Utility ATM networks as a growth driver How independent and shared networks expand access while optimizing costs Strategic outlook What lies ahead for ATM infrastructure and how organizations can adapt to the next phase of transformation