On Thursday, 19 September, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Credit Institution Law, mandating that Latvian commercial banks shall no longer offer the Russian language option in ATMs.

Under the new regulation, ATM interfaces must be available in Latvian, and they may also include official languages from member states or candidate countries of the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As a result, Russian will be removed from ATMs.

In order to allow credit institutions to implement ATM reprogramming, this change will come into effect on 30 January 2025.

The amendments also provide for the availability of cash, including the possibility to withdraw it from ATMs, across Latvia, particularly given the reduced range and accessibility of in-person banking services in recent years.

The Bank of Latvia is tasked with setting requirements for credit institutions regarding the geographical distribution, number, and minimum operating hours of ATMs, along with limits on free cash withdrawals.

Saeima Press Service