(ANSA) – MILAN, 12 AUGUST – Over 4 million Italians do not have a bank in their municipality of residence. This is what emerges from a research by the Italian Autonomous Banking Federation (Fabi) which cross-referenced the statistical data of the Bank of Italy and Istat updated at the end of 2021.
The total of Italians who do not have a physical branch of a credit institution reside in 3,062 municipalities. Out of a total of 58.9 million citizens, 4,131,416 live in areas where banks are absent, equal to 7% of the total population. The percentage shows striking differences on a geographical basis: if in the North bank desertification affects 6% of the population, in the Center the phenomenon is more limited (3.2%), while in the South and in the islands, where the issue is decidedly more marked , ‘bankless’ citizens represent 10.7% of residents.
In less than 10 years, the analysis shows, Italian banks closed 11,231 branches. Despite the recent acceleration of digital evolution by the banking system, Italy is still the laggard among Western countries throughout the euro area, with just 45% of the total population preferring e-banking.
The reduction of branches is “creating and will cause considerable damage to the country and to customers. Ours therefore represents an evident cry of alarm because the sector represents an essential public service”, affirms the secretary general of Fabi, Lando Maria Sileoni. (HANDLE).
Source: Ansa
I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years now and I have worked for some of the biggest news websites in the world. My focus has always been on entertainment news, but I also cover a range of other topics. I am currently an author at Global happenings and I love writing about all things pop-culture related.
