Moldova has largest number of ATMs of 29 states in Europe and Central Asia

Moldova has the largest number of ATMs per 1 million of population among 29 countries in Europe, Eurasia region and the Central Asian region.

The third edition of the USAID's "Regional Benchmarking Report" shows that while the penetration of ATMs has stagnated or declined across the region, in Moldova it soared and was much above the average: 1,600 per 1 million of population in 2008, 2,400 in 2009 and 3,000 in 2011.

The figure is much higher than in all the 29 surveyed countries and even higher than in the Eurozone (around 1,000 ATMs). Russia is in the second place with over 1,500 ATMs per 1 million of population in 2011. In Ukraine the figure was at around 800 and in Romania at around 600.

Moldova also has the largest number of ATMs per 1,000 km 2  - 270 in 2011, compared with around 50 in Romania and Ukraine, 10 in Russia and 150 in the Eurozone.

Meanwhile, the USAID report shows that  the number of commercial bank branches per 1 million of population – around 100 - was much lower than in Russia and Romania (around 350) but higher than in Ukraine (less than 50). Yet, when it comes to the number of commercial bank branches per 1,000 km2, the figure in Moldova (10 bank branches) is higher than in Russia and Ukraine (2 bank branches), but  lower than in Romania (over 25).

The number of borrowers from commercial banks (around 50,000 per 1 million adults in 2007-2008 and around 40,000 in 2009-2010) lags badly behind Romania (210,000), Georgia (380,000) and the Eurozone (over 500,000).

According to the USAID's report, Moldova had the second highest banks' return on assets after Kyrgyzstan in 2007 (3.9%) and 2008 (3.5%). The figure lowered to minus 0.5% in 2009, but then increased to 0.5% in 2010 and to 2% in 2001. During all this period, banks' return on assets was less than 1% in the Eurozone.

Banks' non-performing loans represented 13% to total loans in Moldova in 2010 and 8% in 2011. In Ukraine they represented almost 15%, in Russia 6% and in Romania 14% in 2011. 

The USAID report also shows that in Moldova, like in Russia and Ukraine, deposits represent less than 40% of GDP. Credit stands also at less than 40% of GDP but the figure is lower than in Russia and Ukraine (around 60% in 2011).

Infotag's note: USAID's Regional Benchmarking Report included 11 states in Europe (Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania), 6 in Balkans (Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo), 7 in Eurasia (Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) and 5 in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan).

Adapted from Infotag