A popular high street bank has announced a fresh wave of closures in yet another blow to the high street. In 2026 so far, hundreds of stores and banks have revealed they will be forced to close locations, due to factors like people moving towards online banking and less footfall on the streets.
NatWest is one of the companies that is set to close even more branches over the next two years. 32 more closures were announced last week on top of the seven already confirmed. The bank said it was a ‘difficult decision’ to make, but necessary due to more and more people changing their banking habits.
Four branches in London are set to close, with two in Manchester and many more across the rest of the UK. Anyone who banks with NatWest and is impacted by a local closure will get information in the post about next steps.
The bank noted that £4million has been dedicated to branch investment in the affected areas, with mobile branches and cashpoints still available throughout the UK. The number of redundancies will also hopefully be minimised, according to the bank.
A NatWest spokesperson said: “Our branch network is a central part of how we serve customers, and we continue to invest in this for the future, with an increase in our investment into branches planned over the next three years.
“However, how our customers choose to bank with us is changing, and our network and services need to reflect customer demand and ensure we are set up to deliver the best possible support.
“Through our unique mobile branches, Community Banking Hubs, Post Office partnerships and the largest free-to-use ATM network of any bank, we are committed to providing customers with access to banking in ways that best suit their needs.
“We carefully assess where and when we make the difficult decision to close a branch to minimise the impact any change may have on our customers and colleagues.”
