The number of Bitcoin ATMs worldwide has surged by 150% in the past two years, according to data from Norwegian financial services companyAksjeBloggen.
Since the introduction of the first Bitcoin ATM in 2013, more than 8,000 machines have now been installed in over 75 countries—a sure fire indication of healthy growth in the cryptocurrency industry.
In just the first six months of this year, more than 1,713 ATMs were installed. The vast majority of them are in North America.
The growth in Bitcoin ATM installations since 2013. Image: Coin ATM Radar.
To begin with, the number of installations saw sluggish growth, data from Coin ATM Radar reveals. But, by January 2017, around 1,000 Bitcoin ATMs were springing up every year. By the start of 2020, there were 6,352 ATMs in operation.
Bitcoin ATM installations surged in the first six months of 2020. Image: Coin ATM Radar.
ATMs are in the regulators’ crosshairs
Healthy growth in the ATM sector comes at a price. ATMs look set to become a target for regulation, as governments around the world seek to put the screws on money laundering, according to blockchain forensics firm Ciphertrace.
The startup released a report, earlier this month, suggesting that 88% of funds from US-based Bitcoin ATMs sent to exchanges in 2019 ended up offshore.
The total number of Bitcoin ATMs just passed 7,000 worldwide, and they can now be found in at least 75 countries.
This number has grown almost parabolically since the introduction of the first Bitcoin ATM in 2013. According to data provided by Coin ATM Radar, this number grew by more than 1,000 in 2020 alone—the majority of which were deployed in the US.
Geoff Golberg sues Twitter for deleting his profile
Conversely, the UK, Canada, Austria, and Spain have seen the number of crypto ATM installat...
According to Ciphertrace, the amount of money wired to high-risk, overseas exchanges—which are more likely to be used for money laundering—has doubled every year since 2017. Authorities are concerned that ATMs present the simplest method of currency conversion, and are boon for money laundering, as they allow for transactions between two fiat currencies, underpinned by Bitcoin.
In Canada, regulators are already cracking down on Bitcoin ATM transfers, and recently passed a law mandating operators to report all transactions above $10,000 Canadian dollars (about $7,400).
Notices alerting customers to scam transactions, have also appeared on machines in Canada.
In 2019, US citizen Kunal Kalra laundered $25 million through his own DIY Bitcoin ATM. Such high profile cases, combined with the surge in funds sent to high-risk exchanges, put ATMs firmly on the regulatory hit list.
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Brandon Lutnick, son of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is creating a multibillion-dollar Bitcoin acquisition vehicle in partnership with SoftBank, Tether, and Bitfinex, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.
The new venture, called 21 Capital, will receive $3 billion in Bitcoin from its partners—$1.5 billion from Tether, $900 million from SoftBank, and $600 million from Bitfinex, according to three people briefed on the matter, as cited by the Financial Times.
Decrypt has reached out to...
AI-powered real estate platform Janover will now go by DeFi Development Corporation as the company signals its commitment to crypto with a name and ticker change following a recent Solana-driven pivot.
The publicly traded firm, which will go by DFDV on the Nasdaq exchange in the future, made another Solana purchase on Monday, adding another 88,164 SOL. That purchase brought its total holdings to 251,842 SOL, valued at more than $37 million at today’s prices.
“This marks the beginning of a new c...
Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social media platform, will invest up to $250 million in exchange-traded funds and in separately managed accounts tracking cryptocurrency and energy securities as part of partnership with Crypto.com, the companies said Tuesday.
Trump Social announced an initial non-binding agreement with Crypto.com on March 24 to offer these products but did not specify any financial figures at the time.
“This agreement is...