A decent bank has their own (insourced) ATMs. This protects consumers from lots of shenanigans, like:

  • centralised surveillance
  • centralised power
  • ATMs that eat your card because its shitty AI decided something there is an irregularity (such as wrong PIN entered or too much cash was requested in relation to an ever decreasing nannied threshold allowance)
  • denial of service based on criteria set by the cartel (not by your bank)
  • small banknotes (≤€50)
  • daily and weekly withdrawal limits (if there is only one ATM network, that network’s limit is imposed on you without recourse using competing ATM networks)
  • reduced services (e.g. no balance inquiry; no deposits)

AFAIK, the only banks good enough to have their own ATM are AXA (Crelan), Attijariwafa and maybe Chabba?

Related: The Dutch ATM shit-show spreads to Belgium