After a 4 month global downturn, net Bitcoin ATM usage has increased

Globally, there were 5,850 fewer net crypto ATMs in the first four months of 2023. However, 1,397 devices were re-added to the global network of crypto ATMs in May.

Breaking the downward trend in Bitcoin BTC tickets for the past year: $27,199

May saw a sharp increase in net installations, with approximately 1,400 units installed worldwide.

For the first four months of 2023, there was a constant reduction in the overall number of cryptocurrency ATMs. While the numbers were declining during that period, big economies like the US and Europe also played a role. Australia, Poland, and Spain increased the number of crypto ATM installations in their respective regions.

According to the graph above, there were 5,850 fewer net crypto ATMs worldwide in the first four months of 2023. However, data from Coin ATM Radar shows that in May, 1,397 machines were added back to the network of crypto ATMs worldwide.

Although they don’t help the Bitcoin network expand, Bitcoin ATMs act as a physical point of trade for customers to convert their fiat money into cryptocurrency. Australia added 233 ATMs in all in 2023, moving up the rankings to become the third-largest crypto ATM hub in the world.

Despite a bad year-long decline, the United States continues to hold the top spot, accounting for 84.7% of all crypto ATMs worldwide. Canada comes in second with 7.6%.

Worldwide, 35,069 ATMs are still in use as of this writing. Passwords, private keys, and money were among the sensitive data recently obtained by a hacker from General Bytes, the company that makes Bitcoin ATMs.

“We have taken immediate steps to prevent further unauthorized access to our systems and are working tirelessly to protect our customers,” General Bytes said in a statement.

As Cointelegraph previously reported, the hacker was able to steal at least 56 Bitcoins (BTC) and 21.82 Ether (ETH) tickers down to $1,904. The business urged its operators and clients to switch to a self-hosted server installation that can be protected by a VPN in order to prevent a situation like this from happening again.