ROME (ITALPRESS) – The banking risk, among its many implications, also entails redefining the presence of banks in the territories, “with branch closures that limit the possibility of access for customers to financial and insurance services and impact the employment aspect of the sector. The possible bank combinations announced in recent weeks would have very significant implications, with impacts also in the insurance sector, the involvement of large private investors and political reliefs,” Uilca explains in a note. “The ongoing banking reshuffle may redraw new balances in the financial world and beyond: as Uilca we have always believed that banking aggregations, if there must be any, must be based on a long-term industrial logic and not respond to motivations of a political nature or linked only to profit or the interests of large shareholders. It remains a priority to safeguard and foster employment, preserve the social role of the bank and its function for the development of the country, supporting communities, families and businesses,” comments Uilca General Secretary Fulvio Furlan. “As Uilca, together with the other trade unions, we will continue to monitor every implication of these corporate operations, starting with employment,” he adds.In Italy, 76 bank branches have been closed every month over the past five years. From 2019 to 2024, in fact, there will be 4,557 fewer branches. In 2024, bank branches fell below the 20,000 mark (19,755). Italians’ dissatisfaction with the closure of bank branches in their municipality remains high: unhappy with nine out of ten people surveyed. The human relationship is confirmed as decisive for accessing banking services: for nine out of ten, the ATM cannot replace human contact. The absence of a bank negatively impacts the inclination to invest and affects the choice of whether or not to live in an area: for seven out of ten people, the proximity of a bank branch affects “a lot” or “quite a bit” in the “inclination to invest in financial products”; for eight out of ten people, the bank represents “a useful place to get support and assistance regarding savings, investments and loans”; two out of ten respondents say they know people who have left their municipality of residence due to the absence of bank branches/counter and other essential services; banks are confirmed as a guardian of legality and support for businesses and territories: for seven out of ten people, the lack of a bank or similar essential service greatly influences their choice to live in or leave a municipality. The number of those who perceived the lack/reduction of a bank branch increases: from six to seven out of ten. These are the major findings of the second Uilca Report Closing branches? No, thank you, the sentiment analysis aimed at measuring the level of dissatisfaction of Italians due to banking desertification and the employment, social and economic impacts of the problem in the country. “Banking desertification has been an ongoing phenomenon for some time, but its many social and economic consequences were unknown or completely underestimated. Data from our second Report confirm its severity: it is a real problem, felt by people. The closure of branches has social impacts, reduces the propensity to invest and influences the choice of whether or not to live in an area, exacerbating the depopulation of small towns,” is how Uilca General Secretary Fulvio Furlan comments on the findings of the Report. From what was recorded, moreover, the presence of a branch cannot be replaced by online banking: seven out of ten, in the event of the closure of their bank branch, would go to a physical office, bank or post office. “In 2023, with the campaign Closing Branches? No, thanks, we set ourselves the goal of highlighting the risks of banking desertification and involving institutions, banks and trade unions to find, together, a solution that can combine the needs of all those involved, first and foremost those of the workers in terms of employment. In the various realities where we were present, an important debate was opened. Above all, we have contributed to the opening of a table at the Cnel with all the parties involved participating and committed to finding shared solutions, with the aim of proposing them to politics and making them concrete, including through a draft Law. The opening of the first regional observatories goes in this direction,” Furlan continued.
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(ITALPRESS).
