Limburg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Batopin, supported by major banks, now has 50 active cash points in Limburg and is adding 16 more. Spokesperson Marie Janart highlights ongoing efforts to improve access in 11 towns.
As VRT News reported, 77 Batopin cash points will be in Limburg by the end of next Year. Limburg now has 50 Batopin cash points that are working, and 16 more are being built. These new cash points will be in places like As, Beringen, and Tongeren-Borgloon.
Batopin is a project where BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC, ING, and Belfius work together. They want almost everyone in Belgium to be able to easily get cash. They mentioned that their goal is for 95% of people to have a cash point that’s not too far from their home, within 5 kilometres. This is especially important in areas where there aren’t many bank cash machines anymore.
Where will Batopin add more cash points in Limburg?
Even with the new cash points, Batopin is still looking for places in 11 Limburg towns. They need a cashpoint in Zonhoven, where there are none right now. They also want more in Bilzen-Hoeselt and Tongeren-Borgloon, even though some are already being built there.
In Genk and Hasselt, they plan to add more cash points. They’re also looking for places in Heusden-Zolder, Maasmechelen, Oudsbergen, and Tessenderlo-Ham. Officials mentioned that Batopin wants to make sure everyone can easily get cash, even though it’s sometimes hard to find the right places to put the cash points.
“We are still looking for additional locations here because a municipality consists of multiple cores,”
Janart continues.
“Like in Maasmechelen, for example, where we are already in Eisden, but not yet at the Pauwengraaf. Or in Hasselt, where we see that there is still a need for an additional location.”
Marie Janart from Batopin says they can’t just put a cashpoint anywhere. The spots need to be easy to get to and in a good place for everyone. The buildings also need to be the right size, so the cashpoint can fit.
He mentioned that sometimes, they use smaller cash points called kiosks, which need less space. But these still need to be easy to see, easy to get to, and safe. This makes it hard to find good spots, especially where space is tight or expensive.
According to officials, even with the difficulties, some Batopin cash points are very popular. The ones in Botermarkt in Hasselt and the Mark in Sint-Truiden are used the most in Limburg. People want easy access to cash in busy areas. But, there have been some problems. Sometimes, cash points have had issues, like not working for a while.
Janart says that Batopin has teams that watch the cash points all the time to fix any problems fast. These teams work to keep the cash points working well and fix any issues quickly so people aren’t inconvenienced. Batopin wants to make sure there are more cash points and that they work well.
