More of Jamaica’s automated banking machines (ABMs) were operational in February 2025 compared to the previous year, but performance metrics continue to show a worrying dip in reliability, with most banks falling short of the Bank of Jamaica’s (BOJ) minimum uptime standard.

An analysis of year-on-year data from the central bank shows that while the national ABM network expanded from 849 to 885 machines, and the percentage of ABMs in operation improved to 98 per cent — up from 92.9 per cent a year earlier — the overall system uptime declined to 92 per cent, slipping below the BOJ’s 95 per cent threshold for optimal availability.

The decline was most pronounced in rural and other urban centres, which include St Catherine, St Ann, and St James. Uptime in rural Jamaica slid to 87.9 per cent in February 2025 from 92.8 per cent a year earlier, while other urban centres dropped to 88.1 per cent from 92.3 per cent. The Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) fared slightly better at 92.8 per cent, though still under the benchmark.

In contrast, average recovery times — the period between fault notification and full restoration — improved dramatically. Faults were resolved in an average of 3.0 hours in February 2025, down from 5.9 hours in the same month the previous year. It suggests banks are responding more quickly when machines go offline, even if outages are becoming more frequent.

Among the best performers was Sagicor Bank, which consistently recorded uptimes above 98 per cent across all regions and had the fastest recovery times — some as low as 0.1 hours in rural areas. Meanwhile, JN Bank continued to struggle, with uptime in the KMA at just 84.1 per cent and similarly low performance in other regions. The bank operated 53 machines in the capital region, all of which were reported as available, but uptime indicated frequent and possibly prolonged interruptions in service.

JMMB Bank also showed mixed results. While it reported high machine availability, its average recovery times remained above the national average, particularly in rural areas. The bank is now in the midst of a strategic consolidation of its physical footprint. In a notice to clients, JMMB announced that its Junction, St Elizabeth, agency will close on May 30, 2025. The company cited the need for operational efficiency and sustainability, noting that all clients will continue to have access to the Junction ATM, digital platforms, and the newly expanded Santa Cruz branch, where the Junction team will be redeployed.

“Please accept that this decision was not an easy one,” the company said in its message, adding that it was driven by “our ongoing need to balance supporting you in the achievement of your financial goals…while being operationally efficient.”

The Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica (BNS), another major player, recorded subpar uptimes again in 2025, though the bank disclosed that the figures were affected by a fleet-wide parts remediation initiative on its intelligent ABMs, as well as unplanned technology-related outages.

The reports, compiled from unaudited data submitted by the banks and published by the BOJ, distinguish between machines that are physically present and those that are reliably usable. A machine is considered in operation if it can complete basic transactions, including cash withdrawals and deposits. However, performance metrics such as uptime and recovery time are used to assess true reliability and customer access.

As more banking services move online and physical branches become fewer, there’s growing pressure on banks to keep their ABMs running reliably around the clock. When machines fall short of the central bank’s standards, it risks shaking public trust — especially in communities that still depend heavily on in-person access to cash.

An automated banking machine in Kingston. While uptime performance slipped, banks significantly improved recovery times in February 2025, restoring services faster when machines went offline.