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Is the branch dead for business banking in Northern Ireland?

Sue Lewis Senior Director, Financial Services 6 January 2022

You only have to google ‘bank branch closures’ to see how the banking industry is changing. Branch closures are not a new thing.

Movement away from the branch and to digital mediums is less marked in Northern Ireland than in GB. 7 in 10 had used the branch counter, even during the height of Covid.

The government reports that between 2012 and 2020 the total number of bank and building society branches in the UK fell by 28%. But what is the small to medium Northern Irish business experience and do they expect to use digital channels more in the future?

Savanta has been tracking channel usage amongst businesses in Northern Ireland for over 5 years now and wanted to understand small business intention around branch usage going forward, after a year of Covid and business change.

We asked small businesses (start-ups and established businesses with up to £2m turnover) which methods they had used and the channels they have used to carry out their business banking over the past year?

Please download our free mini-report here or for more information please get in touch.

To read the GB report please click here