ATMs have been part of our daily lives for decades, and while their core function remains closely tied to cash, technology is opening up new possibilities for their evolution. The market backs this up: the global ATM sector is projected to grow from around $39.9 billion in 2026 to $45.78 billion by 2030, driven by demand for smart ATMs, biometric authentication, and contactless transactions.
ITMs (Interactive Teller Machines), this new generation of cash machines, are already being deployed across various markets. What remains to be seen is which additional features will be added and how far this evolution will go. Let’s look at some of the trends shaping that path.
From ATM to Financial Self-Service Terminal
One possible evolution involves understanding the ATM as something more than a device for withdrawing cash. The concept of a financial self-service terminal broadens its possibilities: banking operations, personalized services, integration with other channels, and new forms of user interaction. This isn’t just a hypothesis: a Source Technologies study already showed that a check that takes 9 minutes with a bank teller can be resolved in just 40 seconds at a self-service terminal — more than 13 times faster.
The goal would be to offer an increasingly flexible, connected experience tailored to the needs of each transaction.
Cardless and New Forms of Identification
The use of physical cards may increasingly coexist with other forms of authentication and identification. Transactions initiated from an app, QR codes, NFC, or various identification methods can enable cardless experiences, reducing dependence on the physical card. The trend is already reflected in the numbers: the share of ATMs worldwide equipped for cardless mobile withdrawals rose from 20% to 30% in just one year, while contactless transactions grew by 19%. The cardless-specific market, valued at several billion dollars in 2025, is projected to grow at annual rates of between 10% and 13% toward the end of the decade, according to various industry analysts.
That said, any new form of interaction must come with one essential element: security. The evolution of the ATM will need to strike a balance between ease of use, accessibility, and transaction protection.
More Technology Means More Testing
As ATMs incorporate new features, integrations, and forms of interaction, the need to test them efficiently also grows. The impact is measurable: modular ATMs from manufacturers such as NCR and Diebold Nixdorf have cut downtime by as much as 32%, partly thanks to more agile testing and maintenance processes.
Testing is therefore taking on an increasingly relevant role: simulating different scenarios, validating functionalities, checking integrations, and catching potential errors before they reach the user. In this context, virtual environments and automation can make it easier to develop and test new ATM solutions.
Preparing the ATMs of the Future
At Serquo, we work precisely in this space through Atmosphere, our ATM testing suite, which allows virtual environments to be created to test different components and scenarios more flexibly.
Because even though ITMs are already a reality, and even though we don’t yet know exactly which additional features they’ll end up incorporating, one thing seems clear: the more they evolve, the more important it will be to test their software before putting it into production.
ITMs are already part of the industry’s present. What’s still being written are the features they’ll keep adding — but everything points to a cash machine that’s increasingly connected, increasingly flexible, and, above all, increasingly integrated into the user’s financial experience.
Want to know more about our ATM testing suite? Reach out to us at info@serquo.com