BarcelonaIn the last twelve years, more than 5,000 bank branches have disappeared in Catalonia. In 2019 there were 4,287 municipalities in Spain without access to this service. Since the beginning of the 2008 crisis, the sector has laid off more than 100,000 workers in the state. The gradual closure of much of the commercial network of the entities has become a problem both for the populations that have been orphaned by ATMs and for the elderly who have been caught off guard by digitalisation. But this trend is also generating strong criticism to demand that banks take responsibility for the financial inclusion of these groups.
Day without a card
“I’m big, not an idiot.” It is the message that has started to run in the form of a massive chain on WhatsApp to ask consumers not to pay anything by card tomorrow to show their anger at the banks’ treatment of the elderly. This campaign, similar to actions such as power outages to protest the rise of electricity, aims to “teach a lesson” to financial institutions to ensure face-to-face care in their offices.
Signatures against the closure of offices
Carlos San Juan is the 78-year-old Valencian retiree who has launched a petition on Change.org that already has more than 560,000 signatures. Their struggle is to make it clear to the industry that closing more offices (or reducing the number of hours they can consult in person) means forcing older people to use technologies they often don’t know how to use: “Many older people are alone. and they have no one to help them, and many others, like me, want to continue to be as independent as possible at our age. “
More taxes on ATMs
This lack of protection for the elderly has also led some councils, such as El Vendrell, to take measures to discourage the closure of offices. Thus, it has approved a motion to impose a fee of 10,000 euros on financial institutions that neglect this group. The mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, also announced this week that he was studying increasing the tax on ATMs in banks that do not encourage face-to-face care. In Barcelona, the first deputy mayor, Jaume Collboni, proposed to the sector that it install cash withdrawal points in public buildings such as civic centers or old people’s homes.
Investigation of the Catalan Ombudsman
The social impact of the closure of offices has reached the Catalan Ombudsman, who last month announced an investigation into the dismantling of the bank. In this case, he has asked the Bank of Spain and the four main banks working in the Principality for more information on this problem. In his questions, he asks them how many branches they have removed in the last two years, which of the physical offices have been replaced by mobile offices and which is the most common means of payment for customers.
Alternatives to ATMs
This runaway from offices has ended up generating more inventive solutions such as allowing tobacconists to take over very basic functions of a bank. In some of these establishments, in addition to being able to buy tobacco, you can also pay the electricity bill or make an income. Caixa d’Enginyers has also reached an agreement with Bonpreu-Esclat supermarkets whereby its customers can withdraw up to 150 euros in cash when making a purchase with a card of more than 15 euros.
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