started · updated
Italy sees massive bank‑branch closures, millions left without local services
Between 2015 and 2025 Italy lost more than 11,000 bank branches – a 36.7 % drop – leaving roughly 44 % of municipalities without any branch and about 4.8 million citizens without a nearby bank. The contraction affects around 310 000 enterprises and 933 000 employees nationwide.
Regional data show the uneven impact: Abruzzo has the fifth‑highest desertification rate, with 61.3 % of its 305 municipalities (187) lacking a branch, affecting 163 769 residents and 11 085 firms. Liguria trails the national average, with 57.7 % of its 234 municipalities (135) unserved. Piedmont ranks fourth, where 65.8 % of communes are without a branch, leaving 665 000 people and 48 300 businesses without direct access. In the Marche province of Pesaro‑Urbino, 14 communes have no staffed branch and 13 lack even an ATM. Treviso province in Veneto reports one‑third of its municipalities without a branch. Umbria records a 21.3 % decline in served municipalities (from 75 to 59) and an average of 1.4 branch closures per month.
The CNA (Confederazione Nazionale dell'Artigianato) warns that digital banking cannot fully replace the physical relationship needed by elderly citizens and small enterprises, urging policy measures to preserve essential banking presence in rural areas.
Entities
Abruzzo · Abruzzo Region · CNA · CNA Provinciale Treviso · Confederazione Nazionale dell'Artigianato (CNA) · Dario Costantini · Italian banking sector · Liguria · Liguria Region · Marche (province of Pesaro‑Urbino) · Piedmont · Piedmont region
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] 61.3% of Abruzzo municipalities lack a bank branch. www.solofinanza.it · www.adginforma.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] 96% of Italian municipalities without a bank branch have fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. www.giornalenordest.it
- [● 2 SOURCES] Italy has lost over one third of its bank‑branch network in the past ten years. www.giornalenordest.it · www.adginforma.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In Treviso province, one out of three municipalities has no bank branch. www.giornalenordest.it
- [DISPUTED] Abruzzo experienced a 36.7% reduction in bank branches between 2015 and 2025. www.solofinanza.it · www.adginforma.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Abruzzo bank‑desertification affected 163,769 citizens and 11,085 enterprises. www.solofinanza.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Veneto lost about 200 bank branches between 2015 and 2025. www.giornalenordest.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Approximately 200,000 Veneto residents live in municipalities without a bank branch. www.giornalenordest.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Around 4.8 million Italians live in municipalities without a bank branch. genovaquotidiana.com · www.occhioallanotizia.it · radiogold.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In Umbria, the number of municipalities served by banks fell from 75 to 59 (21.3 % drop) between 2020 and 2025, with an average of 1.4 branch closures per month. www.umbria24.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Piedmont has 65.8 % of its municipalities without a bank branch, leaving 665,000 citizens and 48,300 enterprises unserved. radiogold.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] In the province of Pesaro‑Urbino, 14 municipalities have no staffed bank branch and 13 lack even an ATM. www.occhioallanotizia.it · www.radioincontro.com · www.viverefano.it