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Bank branches continue to lose relevance in Belgium

14:11 11/12/2015

The number of bank branches in Belgium is rapidly declining. Between 2008 and 2014, 1,449 offices closed their doors, writes La Dernière Heure based on a report by the French NGO Financité.

The basis of the downward trend is the increasing digitisation of banking services, according to the report. As customers increasingly opt for online banking, the physical bank branches become less and less necessary.

In Wallonia, as a result, there are currently no more than 1,657 bank branches left in the region. That's equal to 4.6 offices per 10,000 inhabitants. In Brussels there are only 3.6 branches left per 10,000 inhabitants.

Customers in Flanders are the most attached to their bank offices, the report reveals. There are 4,725 remaining bank branches in the region, providing 7.4 offices for every 10,000 inhabitants, or 35 in a 100km² radius.  

Written by Robyn Boyle