The Highest ATM in the World, on Mountain Top 4,693 Meters

VIVA – Over the decades, the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) has become one of the most needed technologies in the world. ATMs are usually very easy to find at shopping places, gas stations, or minimarkets. However, at the highest peak of 4,693 meters has been found a functional ATM.

The ATM that sits on the highest peak is on the border of the Khunjerab Pass between China and Pakistan. This ATM is the highest in the world.

As quoted from Odditycentalp on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, according to the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in 2016, solar and wind-powered ATMs are an unusual sight to see in this remote place like Khunjerab Pass.

The highest ATM in the world has earned the title certified by the Guinness World Records. This is a fairly complex endeavor that took about four months for the National Bank of Pakistan to complete.

It needs regular maintenance and refilling of machines with cash, and the nearest bank is 82 kilometers away. A Sost NBP Branch Manager, Zahid Hussain said that his branch location is close to the World's Highest ATM and regularly drives to the machine.

Zahid Hussain is willing to face strong winds, storms, landslides, and treacherous mountain passes to ensure the machine is functioning properly. This ATM caters to mostly border guards taking monthly salaries, some local people, and people who are crossing the border via the Khunjerab Pass.

It is known that only four to five million rupees or around Rp282 million to Rp352 million are withdrawn from the machine every few weeks.

A spokesman for the National Bank of Pakistan told the BBC that it usually takes a person between two and two and a half hours to reach the world's tallest ATM when it needs emergency repairs. It is not bad at all, considering its extreme location.

Despite the low volume of transactions, banks take these machines seriously because of the people who rely on this ATM.