Romania proposes law allowing custom ATM cash withdrawals

A new legislative proposal in Romania, which has received a favorable opinion from the National Bank of Romania (BNR), aims to allow bank customers to withdraw specific, customized amounts of cash from ATMs. Currently, many users are limited to preset values displayed on the screen, but the proposed amendment to Law no. 209/2019 regarding payment services would enable users to manually enter the exact amount they wish to withdraw.

The regulation would apply to all ATMs operating in Romania, regardless of whether the user's card was issued by the bank owning the machine. While quick-selection buttons for preset amounts may remain, they would no longer be the only option. The ability to withdraw custom amounts will be subject to the cash availability in the machine, the specific denominations present, and technical or security limitations.

If the law is passed, ATM operators will have 90 days to update their software and hardware. Failure to comply with these new rules could result in fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 lei for operators if consumer interests are affected.