Marche region faces banking desertification as branch numbers drop

The Marche region in Italy is experiencing significant banking desertification. According to data from Banca d’Italia, the number of active bank branches in the region fell by 25.9% between 2020 and 2025, dropping from 790 to 585 branches.

Currently, 71 out of 225 municipalities in Marche (approximately 31.5%) lack a bank branch. This trend is driven by digitalization and cost rationalization by private institutions. In 34 of these towns, only automated teller machines (ATMs) remain without on-site personnel.

The province of Fermo is particularly affected, recording 19 municipalities without branches or ATMs, the highest in the region. In the High Appennines area of Fermo, only Amandola maintains an active bank branch, while towns such as Montefortino, Monte Rinaldo, and Smerillo have none. Local organizations, including Cna Marche, have warned that the loss of these essential services threatens to accelerate the depopulation of internal areas.