Use of mobile withdrawals advances and already moves more than R$ 7 billion

The use of digital withdrawals, made without using a card, has been growing in recent months, according to data from Tecban. The company, which manages cashiers in the Banco24Horas network, points out that the modality, launched in 2019, has already had more than 34 million transactions, which moved BRL 7.8 billion.

This year alone, from January to August, there were 4.2 million withdrawals, which moved R$ 1 billion.

In digital withdrawal, to release the transaction, the customer can show a QR code generated via the app or enter a code provided by the cell phone.

The cardless withdrawal model is stimulated by two movements. On the one hand, new financial companies, fintechs, offer banking services and use the tool to guarantee customers access to withdrawals, without having to issue cards or have service stations.

On the other hand, various social benefits began to be paid in this way, through applications or sending codes to cell phones. This makes the benefit to be delivered more quickly. In addition to Auxílio Brasil, which can be withdrawn through the Caixa Tem app, the model has been used to transfer money in programs such as lunch and gas vouchers.

In addition to the digital withdrawal at ATMs, there is also the totem model in commerce. In it, the customer uses a self-service terminal to confirm their identity and release the withdrawal. It then generates a code and takes the money from the establishment’s cashier, such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

“The establishment has less money in the cashier, and the model helps to serve places where there is no transport service for valuables”, comments Marcos Pedroso, Tecban’s partnership manager.

Pix also has a withdrawal method, intended for use in commerce and launched in November 2021. In this model, the customer makes a transfer to the merchant, using Pix, and then receives the amount in cash. In July this year, 267 million operations were carried out with Pix Saque, according to the Central Bank.

The volume of transactions in this modality, 34 million, is small compared to the total amount of withdrawals made in Brazil, estimated by Febraban at 2.5 billion in the whole year of 2021. It is smaller than the use of checks. In the first half of 2022, 120 million sheets were cleared.

Despite this, the trend is up. In recent years, the volume of banking transactions has been growing, especially through digital means. As a result, the use of ATMs drops. In 2017, there were 5.9 billion transactions at cashiers, according to Febraban data. In 2021, there were 3 billion. The volume of withdrawals also decreases: there were 2.6 billion in 2019, and 2.5 billion in 2021.

The adoption of Pix also helps to reduce the circulation of banknotes. “In August, we had 2.2 billion transactions on Pix. We estimate that 2 billion of them would have been made in cash, had Pix not existed”, says Leandro Vilain, director of Innovation at Febraban.

“In Brazil, 70% of financial transactions are already digital. And people who incorporate the use of technologies usually end up not going back to what they used before”, continues Vilain.

Despite the advancement of digital channels, the bet in the sector is that the use of cash, as well as the use of cards, should still be present. “Everyone said that the internet was going to replace TV, that TV was going to end radio, but radio is still there today”, evaluates Pedroso.

To prevent fraud, each fintech or bank creates ways to ensure the security of the digital transaction. However, there are risks in the physical world, such as the person being coerced into making a withdrawal by thieves, having their cell phone hacked or falling into scams, such as the one in which the thief claims to be a friend who has changed his number and needs money. .

Another common mistake is to write down passwords on papers kept in the wallet or in another application on the same cell phone, which creates the risk of the data being discovered.