World's First Salmon ATM

In January of 2019, a new ATM was unveiled in Singapore’s Wisteria shopping mall. Instead of cash, however, this machine dispenses 200-gram fillets of frozen salmon from the fjords of Norway. Today, dozens of salmon ATMs dot the island city-state.

Manish Kumar, founder and CEO of Norwegian Salmon Pte Ltd, has a stated goal of making his beloved salmon available to all and affordable for everyone. By cutting out the cost of storefronts, staff, and distributors, he’s able to sell his fillets for S$5.90 ($4.25). And by holding them under -4 degrees F in each vending machine, the fish stays fresh for up to two years. Thanks to promising first quarter sales, though, it’s unlikely any fillets will stick around that long.

The company decided on Singapore because of the country's vending-machine culture (Singaporean machines vend everything from ice cream to luxury cars) and affection for Norwegian salmon. With locations in shopping malls, commercial areas, housing condominiums, and suburban areas, Norwegian salmon is now available to salmon-loving Singaporeans in 61 locations, 24/7. In an interview with RiceMedia, Kumar noted, with apparent satisfaction, “There have been many cases where customers buy salmon after midnight.”