ROMA (ITALPRESS) – In the first nine months of 2025 Italian banks closed 268 branches, a decrease of 1.4% compared to the end of 2024. Numbers destined to grow significantly in the last quarter of the year, which will see some large banks complete the already announced closure plans. The cuts to the physical network have not invested in a homogeneous way the different areas of the country. The most affected regions were Basilicata (- 2.5%), Marche (- 2.5%) and Veneto (- 1.9%). This is what emerges from the last update of the Observatory on the banking desertification of the Fiba Foundation of First Cisl, which processes the data made available at 30 September 2025 by Banca d’Italia and Istat.
The effects of banking resiko are already redesigning the geography of the banking system. Thanks to the integration with Popular Sondrio, the Bper Group has climbed the ranking in Lombarda until it became the first reality for territorial rooting with 673 branches, equal to 17,9% of the total, in front of Banco Bpm with 523 (13.9%), Intesa Sanpaolo and Iccrea, both with 501 (13.4%). Although the Antitrust has prescribed to Bper the closure of only 6 branches to perfect the acquisition of the Valtellinese bank, the group has announced the coupling of 90 branches located in the regions of the North Center. Even heavier consequences would occur if an aggregation between Crédit Agricole Italia and Banco Bpm took place, which would give rise to the third Italian group for network of branches (2.425).(
The most affected region would be Lombardy: the integration between Crédit Agricole Italia and Banco Bpm would increase the number of doors to 765, equal to 20.4% of the total, giving rise to the first network on a regional scale. Immediately after Liguria with 129 (23.4%) and Emilia Romagna with 372 (17.9%). Among the great centers, stand Milan with 248 (24.3%) and Genoa with 59 (20.5%). Also worth mentioning the situation of Parma with 78 (39%) and Piacenza with 47 (31.8%), while the city that records the highest share of Crédit Agricole Italia-Banco Bpm is La Spezia with 43 (50.6%). It should be noted that in Lombardy, the richest Italian region, about 58% of the branches is now in hand to four groups. The wedding between Banco Bpm, second of this classification, and Crédit Agricole Italia, today in sixth place, would give a further boost to concentration, desertifying even more the territories. As of 30 September 2025, 38 other municipalities remained free of branches on their territory. The total number rose to 3.419, equal to 43.3% of the total. It continues to increase the number of people who do not have access to banking services or risk losing it: compared to 31 December 2024 there are over 11.2 million. Of these, more than 4.7 million (+ 1.8%) live in totally deserted municipalities; almost 6.5 million (+ 3.2%) in desertification municipalities, those with only one door
Moreover, the number of companies that have their headquarters in deserted municipalities is growing: 6250 more than at the end of 2024. The relevant dimensions of the centres affected by desertification are also confirmed: there are 13 municipalities above 10 thousand inhabitants without a door, of which one has more than 20 thousand inhabitants (Trentola Ducenta, in the province of Caserta). Bank desertification does not only affect internal areas. On the contrary, if we look at the evolution of the phenomenon, we note that from the end of 2021 to 30 September 2025 the percentage of closures in some major Italian cities, such as Rome (- 12.7%) and Milan (- 14.6%), is higher than the national average (- 10.4%). In order to understand the real scope of the phenomenon the data must be read in parallel to those on the spread of internet banking, still modest: in Italy it uses only 55% of the users against an average EU of 67.2%. From this it is evident that banking desertification represents an accelerator of social exclusion, especially for the elderly of the population, penalized by the lowest level of digital skills (between 65 and 74 years only 33.9% use internet banking against an average EU of 44.7%)
The Observatory on the banking desertification of the First Cisl Fiba Foundation also draws up an indicator (Ipd, Provincial desertification indicator) that allocates to each Italian province a score based on the percentage, calculated on the respective totals, the number of municipalities without door or with a door, the resident population, the companies with registered office in these municipalities and the relative surface.
The ranking that emerges sees in September 2025 among the less deserted provinces the confirmation of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Ferrara, Grosseto, Pisa, Ragusa, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia. Large cities are located in more backward locations: Milan is 22°, Rome 38°, Naples 46°. Vibo Valentia and Isernia remain on the last steps of the ranking.
“The resiko is changing the geography of the Italian banking system. The effects on the territories begin to manifest themselves with evidence. After the acquisition of Popular Sondrio, the Bper Group announced the closure of 90 doors – comments the National Secretary General First Cisl Riccardo Colombani -. The consequences of integration between Crédit Agricole Italia and Banco Bpm networks could be much more serious. An extraordinary operation between these two banks would lead to the establishment of the third network by number of branches, with very important overlaps in some territories that would provide the pretext for new heavy cuts in employment. It is a perspective to which we oppose by decision”.
-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
