The number of major bank branches in the north is set to fall to just 100 from next month after 70 closures in the past five years.
Santander’s move to shut branches in Bangor, Glengormley, Enniskillen and Banbridge in the coming weeks is the latest example of the industry’s move away from physical banking.
It comes as a new report published by Stormont’s Department of Finance this week revealed adults in Northern Ireland use cash at more than twice the rate of adults in England.
The Banking Roundtable Summary Report follows talks between three finance ministers and stakeholder organisations from across the industry in recent years, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Cash Access UK, UK Finance, Credit Unions, the Post Office the Financial Services Union (FSU).
It found the average adult in Northern Ireland makes 49 cash transactions in a year, compared to 19 in England.
Graphic comparing cash use in Northern Ireland with England, Scotland and Wales.
The same report found the north had 6.4 bank branches per 100,000 people in mid-2024, compared to 9.3 in the Republic.
The closure of more than 20 branches in the past two years means that rate is now much lower.
Research from The Irish News shows the north’s ‘big four’ banks of AIB, Bank of Ireland, Danske Bank and Ulster Bank had 108 branches between them in March 2021.
The combination of Santander (21), Halifax (16), Nationwide (13), Barclays (7) and HSBC (5) took the Northern Ireland branch network to 170.
Since then, Ulster Bank has closed 19 branches, while Danske Bank and Santander have each announced 11 closures.
AIB and Bank of Ireland have more than halved their northern network since then, closing eight and 15 branches respectively.
Meanwhile, Barclays and HSBC have reduced their Northern Ireland presence to just a single permanent branch.
With regulation banking over banking and financial services largely reserved, the Finance Minister has few levers to pull in the wake of the report.
Instead, the report recommends lobbying and representations being made to the UK Treasury and FCA.
The FSU’s general secretary John O’Connell said the roundtable engagements are an important forum for stakeholder’s can discuss the various issues affecting the banking sector with regulators and legislators.
FSU general secretary, John O’Connell.
“Bank branch closures, access to cash, banking hubs and the effect that changes in the banking sector can have on vulnerable people formed a core part of the discussion,” he said.
“The report makes a number of recommendations for the regulatory authority, the Department of Finance in NI and the Treasury.
“We look forward to playing an active role in the implementation of these recommendations.”
The FSU also called for more ‘north-south’ co-operation to establish an all-Ireland banking forum.