The ATM Industry Association predicted there would be 3 millionATMs across the globe by 2015 and the total number of withdrawalsof cash from ATMs globally would rise to above 8.6 billion peryear

The international association, headquartered in Sioux Falls,S.D., and London pointed to research conducted by RBR, aLondon-based financial consulting firm that specializes inpayments, for its numbers.

Among other things, RBR forecast the volume of global cashwithdrawals from ATMs would increase by 7.9% per year from 2011 to2017. The ATMIA reported the global volume of monthly cashwithdrawals at ATMs was 2.8 billion in 2000 and forecast it wouldrise to 8.6 billion withdrawals per month by 2015.

For the U.S. and North America, RBR's research showed the U.S.had 420,000 ATMs in 2009 and Canada had 58,217 but the number hadrisen to 481,000 together in 2010. RBR forecast the number of ATMsin Canada and the U.S. together to increase to 498,750 by 2015.

ATMIA drew upon these statistics to strengthen a call ongovernments around the world to maintain their commitment tocash.

“But it is not just the longevity and continuing popularity ofcash which underlie its critical role in society and the economy.It is its nature as a public source of money,” the associationwrote in a position paper. “Cash is produced and governed bycentral banks accountable both to the government's fiscal policiesand systems and to the electorate.”

ATMIA called cash part of the social contract between a nation'spopulation and its government, observing that government entitiesresponsible to an electorate control cash whereas for-profitorganizations like the major card brands control plastic forms ofdebit and credit.

“In public discussions about payments, regulators should neverlose sight of the fact that cash is part of the commonwealth ofsociety and should be wary at all times of vested commercialinterests conducting campaigns to eradicate cash,” the ATMIAwrote.