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HATC SAMPLE EDITION:
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11th November, 2025
OTP challenges ATM law at Constitutional Court
OTP Bank announced on Monday that it, along with several other credit institutions, has filed a constitutional complaint challenging the legal provisions on ATM installation.
The Economy Ministry has mandated that ATMs be installed in all settlements with over 1,000 residents by December 31, 2025, and in all settlements with over 500 residents by December 31, 2026.
The banks argue that the requirements are “economically unjustified and impose a disproportionate restriction on banks’ fundamental right to conduct business and manage property and interfere with market operations in a discriminatory manner.
The legal obligation stems from the ATM law and related legislation, enacted after the Parliament enshrined the right to use cash in the Fundamental Law earlier this year.
Authorities argued that guaranteeing easy access to cash for the population requires widespread ATM availability.
The MNB issued a decree in June specifying which banks would be responsible for installing ATMs in smaller towns.
This follows a similar legal challenge at the end of September concerning the extension of the interest-rate freeze, where OTP contended that the government decree retrospectively interferes in private relations without constitutional justification.
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Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
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