It's golden: ATM 50th anniversary commemorations announced

The ATM Industry Association has unveiled "the official international industry logo" marking the 50th anniversary of the ATM, which falls in 2017. According to an ATMIA press release, the world's first ATM was installed in London by Barclays Bank in 1967.

"ATMIA is exceptionally pleased with this beautiful design by Networld Media Group [parent company of ATM Marketplace]," said ATMIA CEO Mike Lee. "Its striking elegance will do the ATM industry proud. We'd like to thank Cardtronics, the world's largest ATM owner-operator, for their generous global sponsorship of this logo and the 50th anniversary celebration, which belongs to the worldwide ATM community."

ATMIA has been planning commemorative celebrations since last year, when it organized a 50th ATM anniversary committee and tasked its members with developing plans to mark the occasion.

The association has launched a 50th ATM anniversary portal and is compiling a media kit that will include an ATM anniversary fact sheet and an encyclopedia of "Extreme ATMs" around the world, the release said. The trade group also plans to create an ATM history exhibit to be featured at its U.S. and European events in 2017.

Additionally, ATMIA will issue a keepsake coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ATM on one side and the 20th anniversary of ATMIA (which also falls in 2017) on the other side.

Lee said 2017 celebrations will serve not only as a retrospective on the automated teller machine, but also as a reminder of its ongoing and growing importance in the everyday lives of individuals the world over.

"We will focus on the incredible power of the ATM," he said. "This is just as much about the future as it is about the first 50 years of this machine that has changed the world."

From ATMmarketplace.com