Russian MNOs opt out of support of mobile money withdrawals at ATMs

Starting from July 30, mobile operator MTS stopped offering a service that allows the subscribers to withdraw cash from their mobile accounts at ATMs of MTS Bank and partner banks, the operator said. This decision was based on “technical reasons”.

 

MTS has been supporting the service for a year: it was launched in June 2017, according to the MTS Bank website. Cash withdrawals at ATMs by means of texting to a short number is a very “niche” service, explains MTS representative Aleksey Merkutov. It is relevant if a person who left a wallet and credit cards at home needs a small amount of cash to pay for a trip by metro, for example. However, with the development of digital services, a growing number of subscribers make NFC payments on smartphones and other smart gadgets, while those who were interested in money transfers between mobile and bank accounts started to use the MTS Money application.

 

Similarly, Beeline Money service launched in 2015 was terminated later. According to VimpelCom spokesman, the service had a number of limitations that hindered its expansion.