As China gears up for next year’s Olympic Games, the
ATM Industry Association is hosting its
third “ATMs in Asia” conference, which runs May 28-30 in Beijing.
According to a news release, the conference will focus its attention on
preparing China’s ATMs for the millions of additional transactions
expected during the Olympics. About a half million foreign and domestic
visitors are expected to arrive in Beijing each day during the Olympics’
17-day run, which begins Aug. 8, 2008.
As Asia’s economic power, China has climbed from fifth to fourth place
in the World Tourism Organization’s rankings since 2002; in 2005,
tourism accounted for more than 5 percent of Beijing’s GDP, 5.5 percent
of the world’s total travel and tourism industry.
But are Beijing’s ATMs ready for the sudden expected spikes in
international ATM transactions during the Olympics? Will international
visitors find ATMs in the city user-friendly, secure and efficient?
“We have international best practices for ATM security, business
efficiency and ATM risk management which could be of use to Chinese bank
and ISO (independent sales organization) deployers,” said Mike Lee,
ATMIA’s chief executive. “The focus of this conference, taking place in
the host city for the Olympics, is to share this material and to offer
our international contacts the knowledge base to assist in the banking
industry’s vital preparations. We are sure Beijing’s ATMs will be ready
for the high volume of visitors.”
With a predominant cash culture, Chinese consumers prefer debit cards,
Lee said, since they can easily make cash withdrawals at ATMs around
China. Millions of new MasterCard and Visa cards have been issued in
China as the market moves to smart cards and EMV compliance.
*A conference overview*
During “ATMs in Asia 3,” Bank of China will address possible fraud risks
for ATMs at the Olympics, and Agricultural Bank of China will discuss
China’s fast-growing ATM market. Mark Yip, general manager of GRG
Banking Equipment Group Ltd., a Chinese manufacturer and global ATMIA
sponsor, will address industry-standard compliance in China, evaluating
how China’s banks bridge local customs and industry standards.
“ATMs in Asia 3” kicks off with an ATM Risk Management training workshop
developed by ATMIA and based on an international ATM insurance program
through Lloyd’s of London. Work carried out by ATMIA’s Global ATM
Security Alliance about the ATM-security lifecycle also will be
included. And ATMIA president Tom Harper will present a 10-year vision.
At a time when new ISO ATM markets are opening up in countries like
Japan, Indonesia and China, “ATMs in Asia 3” also expects to review
independent ATM growth prospects for the Asia-Pacific region. The
world’s largest ISO, Cardtronics, which operates or owns more than
25,000 ATMs, will speak about ATM deployment that can be done cost
efficiently and quickly.
Independent deployer and switch operator Customers Asia will share its
views about the competitive advantages associated with building a switch
from scratch. And Patrick Mao, general manager of Nautilus Hyosung in
China will address growth in the off-premises market in Asia.
Brad Evans, general manager of Phoenix Interactive will talk about
improving total cost of ownership at advanced-function ATMs. Nigel Lee,
president of North Asia for First Data China will outline the payment
technologies popular in Asia.
