First Data Corp. is helping a Turkish bank change consumers' payments habits in that country.
The Atlanta unit of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is developing a network of 1,250 automated teller machines that Turk Ekonomi Bankasi-BNP Paribas will deploy at retail locations and other sites around the country over the next three years.
Consumers will be able to withdraw cash and conduct other transactions at the machines, a significant departure from current practices, said Nicole Sturgill, research director for TowerGroup Inc.
Turkey has "historically been a branch-based culture, where customers stood in line for a long time because everything was done at the branch," including making loan and utility payments, she said.
"In the last few years, banks in Turkey have" changed their approach, "and have invested heavily in all channels," Sturgill said. "This has resulted in the move of all of the typical branch transactions to ATMs and online banking."
The companies announced the ATM agreement last month.
