The world’s “loneliest” cash machine – a new tourist “check-in” milestone at an altitude of 4,000m

In 2016, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) installed a cash machine at the Khunjerab pass in the northern province of Gilgit-Baltistan, which is also the border between Pakistan and China. Notably, Khunjerab is the highest paved pass in the world at an altitude of 4,693m.

This is a solar powered cash machine. However, the installation process of this particular teller machine is extremely complicated and requires a lot of effort. It took about 4 months for NBP to complete this work and was recognized by Guinness World as “World’s Tallest ATM Installer”.

Since the nearest bank is at least 82km away and the weather is extremely inclement, regular maintenance and recharge of the machine is also quite a difficult job. Zahid Hussain, branch manager of Sost NBP branch, the branch near the tallest ATM in the world, often drives here to check the operation of the cash machine. However, the journey has encountered many times with strong winds, storms, landslides and dangerous passes.

A spokesman for NBP also said that in the event of an urgent repair of the teller machine, it takes staff from 2-2.5 hours to drive to the place. “Although the amount of money traded is not significant, with this medium, people living nearby will feel closer to the modern world out there,” said Mr. Zahid.

It is known that this cash machine mainly serves border guards, a small number of locals and adventurous tourists climbing the pass. For many tourists, they are extremely excited and consider this an important milestone to prove the achievements of their trip.