More than 100 bank branches are scheduled to shut down in 2026 as the trend of moving away from traditional high street banking accelerates. Throughout this year, closure dates have been confirmed for 73 branches of major banks like Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland.
An additional 29 branches have announced closure plans but are yet to finalize the dates, bringing the total number of closures to 102. Lloyds is at the forefront with 40 branches either nearing closure or awaiting a set date. Santander, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, and NatWest are also among the banks set to close 18, 17, 15, and 7 branches respectively.
Last year, Lloyds and Santander had already disclosed numerous closures, attributing the decision to the shift of customers towards mobile banking services over in-person transactions. A total of 35 branches are expected to vanish from high streets by the end of this month, with two more closures in February and 23 more in March.
Remaining closures are scheduled for July and October or are pending confirmation. Cornwall has been significantly impacted by the withdrawal of major banks, with four branches set to close this year and two without a confirmed end date. In the previous years, there were 13 closures in 2025, six in 2024, 14 in 2023, and six in 2022, totaling a loss of 45 banks. Scotland’s Highland council area is also anticipated to lose six banks this year, including two without a closure date announcement.
Overall, Scotland is facing the closure of 20 banks, with five in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. In England, the South East and South West regions are the most affected, with 17 bank branches closing in each area. Since February 2022, major banking groups have pledged to evaluate the consequences of every closure voluntarily, resulting in a total of 2,065 branches either closed or with closure plans.
In cases where communities are left without local bank services due to closures, banking hubs or free ATMs are established to mitigate the gap. Nick Quin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at LINK, emphasized the increasing preference for digital banking, highlighting the importance of cash services despite the declining cash usage.
Gareth Oakley, CEO of Cash Access UK, noted the evolving banking landscape towards digital transactions while assuring those reliant on cash of the growing availability of banking hubs. These hubs aim to provide a consolidated location for various high street bank customers and offer essential cash services to businesses and consumers.
The move towards digital banking is reshaping the banking industry, but efforts are being made to ensure that cash services remain accessible to those who depend on them.