Office is not an employee: banks have almost tripled the closure of branches
Banks closed 483 offices in the first three months of 2026, which is 2.6 times more than in the same period last year, according to Central Bank data analyzed by Izvestia. Moreover, last year the rate of reduction of branches also increased. At the same time, credit organizations have stepped up the fight against fraud and verification of Russian transfers, and it is often necessary to come to the bank's office to unblock accounts. Their demand is also affected by Internet outages. Some Russians came to the branches specifically to carry out transactions or withdraw cash. Whether the availability of financial services to the public may decrease due to the abrupt closure of offices is in the Izvestia article.
How much does it cost for the bank to maintain a branch
The number of bank branches where Russians can apply is sharply decreasing. In the first three months of this year, the number of offices of credit institutions decreased by 483 and reached 21.87 thousand. This follows from the data of the Central Bank, which was studied by Izvestia.
The pace of office closures has been increasing for several years now. In the first quarter of 2025, the number of branches fell by 185, in 2024 - by 70, and in 2023 — by 41. The largest part of the cuts over the past year fell on Sberbank, which eliminated more than 900 offices.
The current figures are a continuation of the transformation that has been going on in the market for several years, said Maxim Gmyrya, founder of the Sequoia Group risk management agency. Banks are gradually moving away from the classical model with a wide network of offices and are increasingly transferring operations online.
— This is largely due to the development of digital services.: Today, a significant part of the services can be obtained remotely, faster and at lower cost. At the same time, pressure on costs is growing — despite good financial results, banks' expenses are increasing, and optimizing the physical infrastructure is becoming an obvious step," the expert explained.
The approximate expenses of a financial institution for the maintenance of one office in the Moscow region reach 2-5 million rubles per month, said financial adviser and founder of Rodin.Capital Alexey Rodin. In addition, in recent years, more and more customers have shifted to mobile applications, preferring to conduct operations there and save time.
Over the past 5-7 years, Russian banks have invested heavily in the development of remote service systems, independent economist Andrey Barkhota agreed. The reduction of the network is an attempt to maintain the current level of operational efficiency in the face of a noticeable slowdown in lending and a deterioration in the financial condition of retail customers, he believes.
The introduction of artificial intelligence also has an impact. This trend will also lead to the release of some of the junior banking staff, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global.
Mergers and acquisitions in the sector also play a role here, when the purchasing bank closes some of the closely located offices so that they do not duplicate each other, said Igor Dodonov, an analyst at Finam Financial Group.
Banks are transferring services to a remote format, which allows them to reduce costs and increase profitability, the Central Bank told Izvestia. The regulator said it welcomes the trend, but ensures that the process does not create inconvenience for consumers. They also noted that in cities, the reduction in the number of branches has virtually no effect on the availability of financial services. In addition, the Central Bank takes into account Internet outages by targeting banks.
Izvestia sent a request to the largest credit organizations to close their offices. Absolut Bank announced that it would liquidate one regional branch in 2026. They added that since remote service channels are available to customers, there is no need for a large office network, as this will lead to an increase in operating costs.
In the first quarter, Sovcombank's office network decreased by about 0.8%, Managing director of the organization Anna Kambulova told Izvestia. This is part of the routine development and optimization process. VTB, on the contrary, is expanding its physical presence, said Svetlana Syrtsova, head of the bank's Network Development department and Senior Vice President. In 2025, 443 offices were opened or renovated, and 479 more are planned this year, she added.
How will the problem with access to services be solved?
At the same time, the issue of accessibility of financial services is becoming sensitive, experts say. First of all, this concerns the older generation, who are often intimidated by the transition to a digital environment, not only because of a lack of skills, but also due to a psychological barrier, Maxim Gmyrya noted.
According to him, the practice of freezing accounts and transactions creates additional tension. Recently, banks' fight against fraudsters and control over citizens' transfers have intensified, which increases the number of blockages. Often, in order to resume access, the client must personally come to the office for identification.
— In a situation where personal presence is required to resolve an issue, the reduction of offices objectively complicates the process and increases the time to restore access to funds. Plus, there are purely technical factors, such as Internet outages, which still cause people to go to branches to conduct transactions or withdraw cash," he said.
Against the background of temporary Internet blockages, the volume of cash in circulation jumped by 300 billion in March, according to the Central Bank. Communication disruptions are pushing citizens and businesses to form a cash reserve for payments, the Central Bank said. The vulnerability of non-cash payments against the background of failures has become obvious, said Denis Astafyev, founder of the SharesPro fintech platform. According to him, people are afraid of losing access to accounts, and fluctuations in currencies and markets reinforce the perception of cash as a "safe haven," Izvestia wrote earlier.
If transactions become digital, then the manageability of the entire system and the transparency of transactions increase, Maxim Gmyrya noted. With the opposite trend, the reverse process occurs. It also affects the opportunities for shadow turnover and control over financial flows.
At the same time, the Central Bank ensures that the process of switching to remote service and closing branches is balanced and does not create inconvenience for consumers, says Alexey Rodin from Rodin.Capital. He added: banks are also developing ATMs, trying to make it possible to provide more and more types of services through them.
Difficulties with stable Internet access and the increased demand for cash over the next year may at least slow down the trend towards closing offline bank offices, especially in the regions, Natalia Milchakova admitted.
According to Maxim Gmyri, judging by the current dynamics, the reduction of branches will continue due to inertia: banks will continue to optimize the network, gradually increasing the role of online services. However, they will not be able to completely abandon offices — there will be a request for physical presence in difficult or unusual situations, the expert believes.
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