THE RM1 fee exemption for cash withdrawals at automated teller machines (ATMs) involves about 84 per cent or nearly 16,000 ATMs nationwide.
Madani Government spokesperson, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, said he clarified the matter following public concerns on social media regarding the implementation of the initiative, which began on July 1.
According to him, an explanation has been obtained from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) that the fee exemption is intended to provide relief to consumers through the ATM sharing network between banks.
"I have contacted Bank Negara Malaysia to get an explanation, and basically this fee exemption is intended to provide some relief to the people through the ATM sharing network between banks that participate in the sharing system," he said.
Fahmi said the implementation only involved bank-owned ATMs that were in the partnership network, which comprised 84 per cent or nearly 16,000 ATM machines nationwide.
He said the remaining approximately 16 per cent of ATMs were machines operated by independent operators that operated under a different commercial model and were not included in the scope of the exemption.
“This announcement applies to bank-owned ATMs that participated in the partnership network. Meanwhile, ATMs operated by independent operators were not included in this exemption,” he said.
Fahmi said the Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM) and the Association of Islamic Banks in Malaysia (AIBIM) were expected to issue official statements regarding the implementation.
He also informed that users could identify bank-owned ATMs by the bank logo, compared to machines operated by third parties.
“If any user finds that they are still charged a RM1 fee for withdrawals at bank-owned ATMs, they can file a report with Bank Negara Malaysia for further action,” he said. – July 2, 2026
