The BNP Paribas plans to close around 600 agencies in France by 2030, on a network which has nearly 1,500 today, according to indiscretions of Franceinfo. The establishment refuses to confirm this figure, but it recognizes carry out a process of rationalization “region by region”, which combines groupings, closures and renovations. In return, the bank wants to offer larger agencies, with teams of at least five employees, just to maintain a ” relevant device For customers.
A movement that accelerates throughout the sector
BNP Paribas is not the only one to reduce its mesh. The CCF (ex-HSBC France) provides for the closure of 72 agencies out of 238 by 2026, with the abolition of a third of its workforce. Société Générale had already announced, in 2020, the disappearance of nearly 600 points of sale when it merges with the Credit du Nord. Crédit Mutuel Alliance Federal, for its part, aims for a network where 85 % of agencies will have at least seven employees, closing the smallest.
In ten years, France has lost nearly 5,000 banking agencies, according to the European Central Bank. However, it retains an exceptional density in Europe: one in three agency on the continent is located in France, against less than 20,000 in Germany.
Banks highlight the evolution of uses: only 36 % of customers are still going to agency at least once a quarter, against 41 % in 2020, according to the French banking federation and Ifop. But for unions, the drop in attendance does not justify everything. “” Customers want to be able to push the door if necessary “Recalls Frédéric Guyonnet, president of the SNB CFE-CGC, who underlines the role of the advisor during important moments such as a succession, a real estate purchase or a separation.
The closure of an agency often leads to the disappearance of the associated automatic distributor: in 2024, more than 1,500 automata disappeared, which complicates access to cash, especially in rural areas. For some residents, the digital argument still does not pass.
Local elected officials also denounce the impact on the economy of municipalities and the lack of consultation. Mayors judge the question as “political” and call for parliamentary mobilization to anticipate the consequences.
For banks, the risk of loss of customers is limited, investment activities remaining more profitable than the physical network. But on the ground, a lowered curtain leaves a little more to settle the feeling of banking desert.
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