Overview
- The Banco de España’s Inclusion Financiera report presented in Valladolid in May 2026 says banks closed 1,637 branches between 2021 and the end of 2024, leaving a network of 67,166 offices.
- A concentrated 2024 rollout added 1,166 mobile branches known as ofibuses, which reached more than 219,000 people and are the main reason the number of municipalities without any service fell by 608, an 18.7 percent drop.
- The population with no local in-person access fell by 33.5 percent to about 435,000 people, or 0.9 percent of Spain’s population, but gains are uneven and many small rural municipalities remain without permanent services.
- Payment habits and demographics complicate inclusion: cash is still used by about 57 percent of people, mobile payments reach roughly 15.3 percent, Bizum handles 37 percent of P2P transfers, and residents over 64 rely especially on cash.
- Reported satisfaction with banking services is high overall at more than 80 percent and reaches 93 percent in municipalities without a permanent branch, a fact that shapes policy debates over guaranteeing access to cash and in-person services.