By 
Maputo — Mozambican commercial banks have stirred concerns among their customers as they reduce the availability of ATMs, making cash withdrawals more challenging.
As reported by the Bank of Mozambique, highlighted in the recent issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique,” the number of ATMs has witnessed a notable decline of 12% over the last three years. The count dropped from 1,710 in 2020 to 1,573 in 2022 and further decreased to 1,507 in 2023. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any provided explanation for this decrease.
Simultaneously, there has been a significant reduction in Point of Sale (POS) terminals at commercial establishments, where card-based purchases are facilitated. The figures dropped from 36,541 in late 2020 to 27,226 in October 2023.
Despite the decline in ATMs and POS terminals, the issuance of cards by Mozambican banks has shown growth. In October, the number of cards reached 3,429,120 debit cards, 124,718 credit cards, and 264,145 prepaid cards.
However, customers are facing additional challenges as most commercial banks have ceased accepting payments by Mastercard, either at ATMs or POS terminals. Despite claims of accepting Mastercard, ATMs frequently reject these cards, and some supermarkets have informed clients to pay in cash when attempting to use Mastercard.
This situation has posed difficulties for tourists seeking to use Mastercards for transactions in Mozambique. The lack of explanation from the banks has inconvenienced customers, leading them to search for ATMs accepting Mastercards in Maputo.
There might be a positive development in resolving this issue, as ATMs of the largest commercial bank, Millennium-BIM, have recently started accepting Mastercards again over the past week.
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