More than 100 bank branches are scheduled to close in 2026 as the trend of moving away from physical locations on the high street continues rapidly.
This year has already seen 73 branches of major banks, such as Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, confirm closure dates. Additionally, 29 more branches have announced closure plans but are yet to finalize the shutdown schedule, bringing the total to 102 closures. Lloyds is at the forefront with 40 banks nearing their final closure or awaiting a specific end date.
Among the impending closures are 18 Santander branches, 17 Bank of Scotland branches, 15 Halifax branches, and seven NatWest branches. The decision to close numerous branches was made by Lloyds and Santander last year, citing a shift in customer behavior towards digital banking services over traditional in-person transactions.
By the end of this month, a total of 35 branches will have disappeared from high streets, with two more closures in February and an additional 23 in March. The remaining closures are scheduled for July and October or are pending confirmation. Cornwall has been significantly impacted by the retreat of major banks from the high street, with four branches already set to close this year and two more awaiting closure dates.
Last year witnessed 13 branch closures, followed by six in 2024, 14 in 2023, and six in 2022, resulting in a total loss of 45 banks. Scotland’s Highland council area is expected to lose six banks this year, including two without closure dates announced yet.
In total, Scotland is projected to lose 20 banks, with five closures in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Among the remaining 76 closures in England, the South East and South West regions are the most affected, with 17 bank branches closing in each area.
Since February 2022, when major banking groups committed to evaluating the impact of each closure, a total of 2,065 branches have either closed or revealed closure plans. The LINK initiative was established to monitor closures and ensure that vulnerable customers and small businesses are not overlooked during the transition to cashless payments and online banking.
When a community is left without a local bank due to closures, banking hubs or free ATMs are introduced to address the gap. Nick Quin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at LINK, emphasized the increasing preference for digital banking among consumers but highlighted the continued importance of cash transactions. Gareth Oakley, CEO of Cash Access UK, noted the rise of banking hubs to cater to customers’ cash and face-to-face banking needs, with over 200 hubs opened, including 100 in 2025 alone. The hubs offer services for customers of major high street banks, with an average of around 150 customer transactions per day.
The ongoing evolution in banking services aims to provide accessible cash solutions for businesses and consumers in need of physical banking services alongside digital options.