ATM Marketplace: June top 5

Summer is in full swing, and change is in the air. Last month, ATM Marketplace saw one editor step away and a new one step in. 

In ATM news, security remains a key issue in ATM management, not only from modern day hacks, but also destructive physical attacks. Meanwhile, cash machines are seeing changes that allow them to operate more independently. And while the bitcoin ATM business is booming, its associations with money laundering are making the machines unwanted in some cities. Below is a roundup of the most popular stories on the site for the month of June:

5) Smart safes: Next-gen retail cash security
Smart safes are "intelligent" deposit solutions, which automatically accept, validate and store cash. What makes them smart is their ability to connect to the Internet and communicate information about the cash deposits. A lockbox with biometric access and real-time content-monitoring, ranks among the more compelling internet of things items in the retail space — and for good reason.

4) Physical ATM attacks are violent, mostly unsuccessful
Rip-out attacks, pull-out attacks, tool-based attacks and explosive attacks. The descriptions of the four most common physical attacks on cash machines sound horrible. Not surprisingly, most of these attacks are unsuccessful, but regardless, they terrorize locals and leave a wake of destruction behind them. 

3) Diebold Nixdorf introduces family of interconnected ATMs
One of the world's largest ATM vendors, Diebold Nixdorf, has revamped its family of ATMs. Designed to behave more like mini branches, the internet-connected machines offer new self-service features, such as biometrics for customer identification and near field-communication, which allows customers to access ATMs with their mobile wallets, to keep up with the demands of an industry in transition.

2) Bitcoin ATMs — and why Vancouver doesn't want them
A year ago, there were 3,200 Bitcoin ATMs in the world. Now there are nearly 5,000. The machines offer a quick and easy way to purchase, and sometimes sell cryptocurrency. The problem is, know-your-customer identity checks on the machines, are not routinely enforced, making them a honey pot for money laundering. And for this and other reasons, the mayor of Vancouver wants them from his city. 

1) NCR's potential sale goes sour
Shares of ATM maker NCR saw a boost in May on the news the Atlanta-based company was considering a sale. Two bidders — private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Apollo Global Management — took an interest in the company. However, negotiations fell through soon after, and NCR has not seen any new offers.