Jamaican dollar transactions up at ABMs, US-dollar transactions down, says PIOJ

Automated banking machine (ABM) transactions in Jamaican dollars surged in 2025, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The volume of these transactions rose by 35.3% to 66.3 million, with a total value of $1.2 billion, marking a 45.7% increase compared to the previous year.

Conversely, transactions conducted in US dollars at both ABMs and point-of-sale (POS) terminals experienced a downturn. US dollar transactions at ABMs amounted to US$280.3 million, an 18.4% decrease from 2024. POS terminals saw a 1.1% decline in US dollar transactions, totaling US$577.1 million.

The PIOJ reported a reduction in the number of ABMs operating within the MultiLink network, falling by 16 to 900. This decrease was primarily attributed to a high incidence of vandalism targeting ABMs and damage sustained from Hurricane Melissa. Despite this, the number of POS terminals across the island increased by 7.3% to 34,151.

In terms of digital currency, JAM-DEX saw significant issuance, with $276.0 million minted and $260.1 million issued to wallet providers. By the end of 2025, the number of JAM-DEX subscribers grew by 8.1% to 305,026, and Lynk merchants increased by 12.1% to 4,953. Debit and credit card circulation also saw modest increases in Jamaican dollars, while US dollar credit and dual currency cards saw decreases.

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The decrease was attributed primarily to unusually high occurrence of vandalism of ABMs and damage from Hurricane Melissa.