The Access Advantage

This article is brought to you by Cash Depot. 

Many consumers today access bank services on their phones or computers. But digital banking hasn’t eliminated physical financial needs like withdrawing cash. 

And for others, financial services remain less accessible. In 2025, an estimated 6% of American adults did not have a bank account, according to the Federal Reserve. The same report showed that 12% of adults used nonbank check cashing or money orders that year, with 11% of banked adults using the services along with 28% of unbanked adults. 

“Banking has moved onto phones, but money still has to move between digital accounts and the physical world,” said Doug Marquis, chief revenue officer at Cash Depot.

With more than 150,000 locations across the country, convenience stores are often more accessible than bank branches. They can help fill the gap for unbanked customers and anyone who needs a way to access financial services in person, according to Marquis.

“Convenience stores already have the access advantage,” he said. “Locations are built around immediacy at familiar sites that have extended hours, easy parking, quick entry and self-service behavior (especially at the pumps).”

Marquis said offering access to financial services can strengthen a store’s role in the community. Consumers can get more done with fewer stops and retailers get more reasons for shoppers to visit. 

“A store that helps consumers complete routine financial tasks can become useful between traditional shopping or fueling occasions,” he said. “Combining services matters because consumers rarely think in product categories. They think in errands to finish.”

Marquis said Cash Depot’s BANK IN A BOX is a simple way for convenience stores to become that access point for financial services. In addition to depositing and withdrawing cash, it can be used to pay household bills, buy money orders and add value to a mobile account. BANK IN A BOX even allows for multi-denomination cash dispensing, meaning withdrawals aren’t limited to $20 bills like a traditional ATM.

“It’s like pushing the ‘easy button’ for these services in your store,” said Marquis, “because you get all of the benefits without additional footprint, compliance, or excessive staff training.”

BANK IN A BOX also provides the reporting and transaction controls needed to maintain proper compliance, he added.

“The store is not offering every function of a financial institution,” Marquis said. “But it is a convenient access point for defined, everyday financial services.”

Marquis said convenience stores with BANK IN A BOX are positioned to serve customers who need services between a digital experience and a traditional bank branch visit. 

“A convenience store does not have to become a bank to make everyday financial services more accessible,” he said. “It has to make the right transactions available where consumers already live, work and shop.”

This is the second article in a two-part series from Cash Depot. Read part one to learn about how retailers can drive foot traffic by offering a wider array of services.

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