While cash remains king in many parts of Jamaica, especially beyond the city limits, the machines that provide it are increasingly failing those who need them most.
Fresh data from the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) has revealed a deep reliability gap between cash machines in the island’s urban centres and those scattered across the rural landscape. While towns and cities are faring moderately well, residents in parishes like Hanover, Clarendon, and St. Elizabeth are dealing with a banking experience that’s sluggish, broken, and expensive.
At the centre of the issue is uptime — the percentage of time automated banking machines (ABMs) remain functional and accessible to the public. The national average fell short of the BOJ’s 95% benchmark, and rural machines performed worst overall. These aren’t just technical failures — they’re economic choke points.
Take Clarendon, for example. Machines meant to serve thousands were functional only 57% of the time. That’s nearly half a month where residents are unable to withdraw cash, deposit earnings, or even check balances. In some parishes, repair times stretch into full working days, rendering the machine useless for hours — often at peak usage times.
Behind the numbers is a human cost. Market vendors, pensioners, and rural workers are forced into time-consuming, multi-taxi journeys just to access their own funds. Every breakdown means more fares, more missed sales, and more dependence on unreliable channels.
Some banks are holding the line. National Commercial Bank (NCB) and First Global Bank have consistently met or exceeded the operational standards, with NCB even achieving full uptime across its rural machines. But others are dragging down the national average — with some institutions blaming power outages, internet failures, and maintenance backlogs.
More alarming is the consistency of underperformance in particular institutions. One bank’s machines recorded sub-85% uptime in multiple parishes — a figure that would be unthinkable in corporate Kingston but seems tolerated in the country districts.
For regulators, the growing disparity presents a structural challenge. The central bank is pushing for better reporting and transparency, but without enforcement teeth, the laggards continue to slip through the cracks. And for many customers, especially those without digital alternatives, these outages translate directly into exclusion.
The nation may be advancing toward digital finance, but in rural Jamaica, access to basic banking is still a gamble — and one many cannot afford to lose.
