The three big Dutch banks – ABN Amro, ING and Rabobank – are looking into the option of creating a joint nationwide network of cash dispensers, they said in a statement on Wednesday.

The three banks say that a communal network will prevent parts of the country being left without an ATM, as more cash dispensers are removed from service.

The project will draw upon successful initiatives in Sweden and Finland, the banks said.

The banks point out that in 2015, the number of cashless transactions in the Netherlands outstripped cash payments for the first time.

Nevertheless, ‘cash must remain readily available to the public, even in times of declining usage of cash and increasing criminal activity targeting ATMs,’ the statement said.