Number of ATMs with ₹100 or ₹200 notes rises sharply

With more than three months left before the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) September 30, 2025 deadline requiring that 75% of ATMs dispense ₹100 or ₹200 denomination notes from at least one cassette, banks have already achieved 73%. Exclusive data from CMS Infosystems, which manages 73,000 of the country’s 215,000 ATMs, reveals that the share of ATMs dispensing low-denomination notes has grown from 65% at the end of December 2024 to 73% within the CMS ATM network.

“With 60% of consumer expenditure still anchored in cash, enabling availability of ₹100 and ₹200 notes directly addresses day-to-day transactional needs, especially in semi-urban and rural markets,” said Anush Raghavan, president, cash management, CMS Info Systems. “At CMS, we have seen the share of ATMs dispensing these denominations rise from 65% to 73% across our 73,000 ATM network in a year, signaling a strong alignment between regulatory intent and consumer behaviour.”

The RBI had instructed banks at the end of April this year to ensure ATMs dispense ₹100 or ₹200 notes to improve their accessibility to the public. According to the directive, by September 30, 2025, 75% of all ATMs should dispense either ₹100 or ₹200 banknotes from at least one cassette. Further, by March 31, 2026, this percentage will rise to 90%.