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Bank branch desertification in Italy

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-02 08:51 UTC → 2026-08-03 06:36 UTC · added removed

In the first half of 2026 Italian banks closed an additional 126 more branches, bringing the national total to about 19,016 and leaving about roughly 11.5 million residents in municipalities with no or only a single bank outlet. The decline continues a decade‑long trend that has cut the branch network by roughly about 37 % since 2015, affecting major cities such as Milan, Rome and Palermo and concentrating the lack of service gaps in regions like such as Molise, Calabria and Valle d’Aosta. Regional data from Treviso highlighted the local impact: show one‑third of its Treviso’s municipalities are now unserved, with roughly 200 branches lost between 2015 and 2025 and around about 200,000 residents without lacking a nearby bank. Similar figures were reported for Abruzzo, bank, and similar patterns in Abruzzo where 61 % of municipalities lack communes are without a branch and branch, affecting over 160,000 citizens and more than 11,000 enterprises are affected. Trade unions and industry bodies stress that digital alternatives do not fully replace physical access, especially for seniors and small businesses, and call for policy measures to address the growing service gap. enterprises. A CNA analysis released in August 2026 (August 2026) confirms the nationwide scale of the issue, showing a 36.7 % reduction drop in branches from 30,258 in 2015 to about 19,100 in 2025. Overall, 2025, leaving 44 % of Italy’s 3,456 municipalities now lack without a bank presence, affecting and roughly 4.84 million people (8.2 % of the population). The impact is uneven: population) unserved. Liguria has the highest unserved rate at 57.7 %, Piedmont 65.8 %, while Treviso (57.7 %) and Abruzzo remain among Piedmont (65.8 %) have the most affected regions. In highest gaps; in Marche’s Pesaro‑Urbino province, province 14 towns have no lack a staffed branch and 13 lack an have no ATM, and while Umbria sees an average of averages 1.4 branch closures each per month. The latest CNA officials echo earlier warnings briefing notes that the 11,000‑plus branch closures have left about 310,000 enterprises and 933,000 employees without a local bank. In Abruzzo the 61.3 % gap now covers 163,769 residents and 11,085 firms; Piedmont’s 65.8 % gap affects roughly 665,000 people and 48,300 businesses. Umbria’s served communes fell from 75 to 59 (a 21.3 % decline). CNA reiterates that digital services cannot fully substitute replace the human personal contact needed by elderly residents seniors and small enterprises, urging policymakers to protect essential banking access in rural areas. firms, calling for targeted policy action.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-03 06:36 UTC Bank branch desertification in Italy
  2. 2026-08-02 08:51 UTC Bank branch desertification in Italy
  3. 2026-08-01 14:52 UTC Bank branch desertification in Italy

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