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Link (British Interbank Network)
Link (stylised as LINK) is the UK’s main ATM network, which allows consumers to withdraw cash from ATMs which do not belong to their bank. It is the largest interbank network in United Kingdom. It is a not-for profit organisation and is regulated by the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulator. Network Link is made up of 32 member organisations. These include high street banks (such as Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Bank and NatWest) and building societies (such as Nationwide and the Coventry Building Society), the Post Office and independent ATM operators. The network connects around 48,000 cash machines, meaning virtually every single cash machine in the United Kingdom is connected to Link. As of 2023, there were about 38,500 free to use cash machines and 11,000 cash machines that charge for withdrawals. Typically, around £1.6billion is withdrawn from Link ATMs each week. The average withdrawal is around £82 and the average UK adult withd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of List of islands of the United Kingdom, the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering . Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. It maintains sovereignty over the British Overseas Territories, which are located across various oceans and seas globally. The UK had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the UK is London. The cities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual financial institution and the largest building society in the world. As of 2024, it serves over 16 million members and operates entirely for their benefit, without shareholders. The society was established through the consolidation of over 250 smaller UK building societies throughout the 20th century, making it one of the most significant mutual mergers in British financial history. Headquartered in Swindon, England, Nationwide offers a wide range of retail banking services including mortgage loan, mortgages, savings accounts, current accounts, credit cards, personal loans, and insurance products. Nationwide is one of the largest cooperative banking, cooperative financial institutions globally. As of June 2025, it reported total assets of £367.9 billion and employed 17,680 people. It operates 605 branches across the United Kingdom which is more than any other UK banking brand and it reaffirmed in 2024 its "Branch Promise" to main ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Interbank Networks
An interbank network, also known as an ATM consortium or ATM network, is a computer networking, computer network that enables ATM cards issued by a financial institution that is a member of the network to be used to perform ATM transactions through automated teller machine, ATMs that belong to another member of the network. However, the functions which may be performed at the network ATM vary. For example, special services, such as the purchase of mobile phone airtime, may be available to own-bank but not to network ATM cardholders. Furthermore, the network ATM owner may charge a fee for use of network cards (in addition to any fees imposed by the own-bank). Interbank networks enable ATM cardholders to have access to ATMs of other banks that are members of the network when their own bank's ATM is unavailable. This is especially convenient for travelers traveling abroad, where multinational interbank networks, like Plus (interbank network), Plus or Cirrus (interbank network), C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euro Alliance Of Payment Schemes
The Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes (EAPS) was an international alliance of European bank and interbank networks that had aimed to creating a pan-European debit card system in the Single Euro Payments Area to rival Visa and Mastercard using existing country specific systems. It was launched in 2007 with the support of the European Union but failed and was abandoned sometime after 2013. History The Brussels-based consortium, formally announced in July 2007, included such members as Electronic Cash in Germany, Bancomat/PagoBancomat in Italy, Multibanco in Portugal, EURO 6000 in Spain, LINK in the United Kingdom and EUFISERV, an ATM system operated internationally by the European Savings Banks Group. Though not allying itself with EAPS, the European Central Bank spoke in February 2007 in favor of the work being done by EAPS as "the first step towards a consolidation of card schemes, leading to a European card scheme". Prior to the implementation of the EAPS alliance, only Mas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ATM Usage Fees
ATM usage fees are what many banks and interbank network An interbank network, also known as an ATM consortium or ATM network, is a computer network that enables ATM cards issued by a financial institution that is a member of the network to be used to perform ATM transactions through ATMs that belo ...s charge for the use of their automated teller machines (ATMs). In some cases, these fees are assessed solely for non-members of the bank; in other cases, they apply to all users. There is usually a higher fee for the use of White-label ATMs rather than bank-owned ATMs. Two types of consumer charges exist: the surcharge and the foreign fee. The surcharge fee may be imposed by the ATM owner (the ''bank'' or Independent ATM deployer) and will be charged to the consumer using the machine. The foreign fee or transaction fee is a fee charged by the card issuer (financial institution, stored value provider) to the consumer for conducting a transaction outside of their network of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online news coverage. The service has over 5,500 journalists working across its output including in 50 foreign news bureaus where more than 250 foreign correspondents are stationed. Deborah Turness has been the CEO of news and current affairs since September 2022. In 2019, it was reported in an Ofcom report that the BBC spent £136m on news during the period April 2018 to March 2019. BBC News' domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, in Broadcasting House in central London. Parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in London. Through BBC English Regions, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vocalink
Vocalink is a payment systems company headquartered in the United Kingdom, created in 2007 from the merger between Voca and LINK. It designs, builds and operates the UK payments infrastructure, which underpins the provision of the Bacs payment system and the UK ATM LINK switching platform covering 65,000 ATMs and the UK Faster Payments systems. Vocalink processes over 90% of UK salaries, more than 70% of household bills and 98% of state benefits. In 2013 the company processed over 10.5 billion UK payments with a value of over £5 trillion. In July 2016 MasterCard purchased a 92% stake in the company, with the remainder to be held by UK banks for a period of three years. Background In 1968, the Joint Stock Banks Clearing Committee chaired by Dennis Gladwell, set-up the Inter-Bank Computer Bureau to modernise the existing paper-based standing order system. Secure electronic funds transfer between banks was introduced from later that year, significantly reducing both the process ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Post Office Limited
Post Office Limited, formerly Post Office Counters Limited and commonly known as the Post Office, is a state-owned retail post office company in the United Kingdom that provides a wide range of postal and non-postal related products including postage stamps, banking, insurance, bureau de change A bureau de change (plural bureaux de change, both ; British English) or currency exchange (Comparison of American and British English, American English) is a business where people can exchange one currency for another. Nomenclature Original ... and identity verification services to the public through its nationwide network of around 11,500 branches. Most of these branch post offices (%) are run by Franchising, franchise partners or by independent business people known as subpostmasters; Post Office Limited directly manages the remaining 1%, known as Crown post offices. Since 2020, a public enquiry has been under way into the company's actions which led to between 700 and 900 subpo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coventry Building Society
The Coventry Building Society is a building society based in Coventry, England. It is the second largest in the United Kingdom with total assets of more than £62 billion at 31 December 2023. It is a member of the Building Societies Association. The society has over 1.6 million saver-members and a further 460,000 borrower-members. History Early history The Coventry Permanent Economic Building Society was formed in 1884, much later than many of the large building societies. It was founded by Thomas Mason Daffern, described as a local bookkeeper. Daffern controlled the society for almost half a century, after which his son took over. Thomas had been appointed Secretary of the Leigh Mills Company in 1876 at the age of 22, a post he held for 20 years. Among the other interests he developed were as a shipping agent, auctioneer and insurance broker, and he later formed a stockbroking partnership. However, the impetus for the formation of the building society was Daffern's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NatWest
National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major Retail banking, retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the Corporate merger, merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it became part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which was re-named NatWest Group in 2020. Following ringfencing of the group's core domestic business, the bank became a direct subsidiary of NatWest Holdings; NatWest Markets comprises the non-ringfenced investment banking arm. NatWest International is a trading name of RBS International, which also sits outside the ringfence. Between 2008 and 2025, the UK government held a stake in NatWest Group following its £45 billion ($61.87 billion) bailout of the lender which led to it owning 84 per cent at one point. The bank returned to full private ownership on 30 May 2025 after 17 years. NatWest is considered one of the Big Four (banking)#United Kingdom, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about , and the bailiwicks' Capital city, capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively. "Channel Islands" is a geographical term, not a political unit. The two bailiwicks have been administered sepa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house (finance), clearing banks. Established in Birmingham in 1765, Lloyds Bank expanded considerably during the 19th and 20th centuries, acquiring several smaller banks along the way. It merged with the Trustee Savings Bank in 1995 and operated as Lloyds TSB Bank plc from 1999 to 2013. In January 2009, it became a key subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group following the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB Group. The bank's operational headquarters are in London, with additional offices in Wales and Scotland, and it also manages office complexes, brand headquarters, and data centres in Birmingham, Yorkshire, Leeds, Sheffield, Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax, and Wolverhampton. History Origins The origins of Lloyds Bank date from 1765, when button ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
