More than 100 bank branches are expected to shut down in 2026 as part of the ongoing trend of moving away from physical high street locations.
This year, closure dates have been confirmed for 73 branches of major banks such as Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland. Additionally, another 29 branches have announced closure plans without setting final dates, totaling 102 closures. Lloyds is at the forefront with 40 banks nearing closure or awaiting finalization.
The upcoming closures include 18 Santander branches, 17 Bank of Scotland branches, 15 Halifax branches, and seven NatWest branches. Last year, Lloyds and Santander had already disclosed a series of closures, attributing the decision to the shift in customer behavior towards mobile banking services.
By the end of this month, 35 branches will have disappeared from high streets, with two more closures in February and an additional 23 in March. The remaining closures are scheduled for July and October or are pending confirmation. Cornwall is heavily impacted by bank closures, with four confirmed closures and two pending closure dates this year.
In the past years, there were 13 closures in 2025, six in 2024, 14 in 2023, and six in 2022, totaling 45 banks lost. Scotland’s Highland council area is also facing potential closures of six banks this year, including two without announced closure dates.
Scotland is set to lose 20 banks, with five closures in Wales and one in Northern Ireland. Among the 76 remaining closures in England, the South East and South West regions are most affected, each seeing 17 bank branches closing.
Since February 2022, major banking groups have been committed to assessing the impact of closures, resulting in the closure or planned closure of 2,065 branches. The LINK initiative ensures that vulnerable customers and small businesses are not disadvantaged during the transition to digital banking.
In areas left without local banks due to closures, banking hubs and free ATMs are established to bridge the gap. As more people opt for digital banking, cash usage is declining, but it remains essential, with over £76bn withdrawn from LINK cash machines last year.
Both LINK and Cash Access UK are dedicated to evaluating the impact of branch closures and providing essential cash services to those who still rely on them. The establishment of banking hubs has seen a positive response, with an increasing number of locations serving various high street bank customers efficiently.