London, a playground for the posh and cosmopolitan, has a wealth of activities available to its well-heeled inhabitants and visitors, from Michelin-starred restaurants to five-star hotels to designer apparel galore. And now, thanks to Barclays Bank, Londoners are even able to walk the red carpet simply to visit their local ATM.
In celebration of the ATM’s “golden anniversary,” Barclays Bank in Enfield, North London has turned its first ATM machine to gold, complete with a commemorative plaque, velvet ropes and a red carpet. Fifty years ago, on June 27, 1967, a Scottish inventor named John Shepherd-Barron revolutionized the way people manage their finances by opening the first automated teller machine. Now, there are an estimated three million ATMs across the world.
Despite the encroaching presence of new technology like online and mobile banking, the ATM still continues to thrive. “Even though recent years have seen a huge uptake of digital banking and card payments, cash remains a crucial part of most people’s day-to-day lives—whether it’s paying for groceries or doing the coffee run,” Raheel Ahmend of Barclays explained in a release.
