Bluerating | April 2026
A few years ago, banks competed to open the most branches, shelling out millions of euros to secure a few square meters of street space throughout the country. Today, the race—or rather, the chase—is in the opposite direction, with branches closing and merging as if there were no tomorrow.
In Italy, banking desertification continues apace, with over 500 branches expected to close by 2025, bringing the total to 19,000 branches and leaving 43.3% of municipalities (3,419) without banks. More than 4.7 million people live in municipalities with no branches at all, while nearly 6.5 million live in areas with only one branch. Approximately 283,000 businesses are located in underserved areas; the phenomenon is no longer limited to inland areas but also affects urban centers. The physical closures are not fully offset by online banking, especially for those over 65, with less than a third using internet banking.
The new wave of closures has also changed the ranking of banking groups’ territorial presence. According to data updated as of December 31, 2025, the BCC Iccrea Group is in first place with 2,447 branches, surpassing Intesa Sanpaolo with 2,298 branches. UniCredit is close behind with 2,245, BPER is fourth with 2,166, and Monte dei Paschi di Siena is fifth with 1,547. Cassa Centrale, another cooperative credit bank, is sixth with 1,511 branches, followed by Banco BPM in seventh with 1,365, Crédit Agricole in eighth with 993, BNL BNP Paribas in ninth with approximately 650 branches, and CREDEM in tenth with 590 branches.
The ranking does not include BancoPosta, which, thanks to its more than 12,800 Poste Italiane post offices and over 9,000 Postamat terminals, is effectively the leading bank in Italy in terms of local presence.
In a country like ours, where there are over 4.9 million micro-businesses, even in small towns, and where wealth is primarily held by those over 65, a local presence and the ability to interact with a person in a physical location is certainly a competitive advantage.
In fact, BancoPosta and the BCC Iccrea Group are reaping successes that were unthinkable just a few years ago. This is thanks to their local presence, supported—like almost all banks—by significant investments in digital, combining multi-channel accessibility with the bank’s local presence.
Banking desertification thus appears to be opening up opportunities for those banks that do not practice it dogmatically and massively, and for networks of financial advisors—authorized to operate off-site—who, moreover, compensate for the closure of bank branches by opening local advisory offices (there are currently over 2,000).
Adding to the competitive landscape are the “challenger banks” (Revolut, Scalable Capital, Trade Republic), which by definition forgo a physical presence in the region.
It’s difficult to predict exactly how market share will be divided between current incumbents and newcomers in ten to fifteen years. What is certain is that—in Italy—when it comes to money and life plans, looking your advisor in the eye is just as crucial as being present in the region.
The winning solution will be one that enables the branch to evolve toward a more streamlined and flexible service model, and the bank advisor to be qualified to offer off-site services, strengthening their ability to connect with customers and the region.
Nicola Ronchetti