Resumen de In-person access to banking services in Spain: 2023 Monitoring Report

María Alonso, Laura Crespo Azofra, Eduardo Gutiérrez, Arancha Gutiérrez, Enrique Moral-Benito, Auxiliadora Moreno, Diana Posada, Patrocinio Tello Casas, Carlos Trucharte Artigas

• This paper presents an analysis of recent developments in the accessibility of banking services in Spain, from the perspective of both supply (the in-person access points available) and demand (customer use and assessment). According to the results obtained, the following main conclusions can be drawn: i) The reduction in the number of bank branches between 2021 and 2022 was offset by the establishment of mobile branches in smaller municipalities and financial agents in larger municipalities. ii) Between 2021 and 2022, the number of municipalities without any in-person points of access to banking services was reduced by 167 (2.1% of municipalities and 0.13% of the population). iii) The percentage of municipalities without any in-person point of access to banking services decreased to a greater extent than in the case of other services, both those provided privately (shops and bars) and those with a certain component of public provision (health care and pharmacies).