Nationwide promises to protect all its branches from closures until at least 2030

Every single branch of Nationwide and Virgin Money will keep its doors open until at least 2030, as they buck the trend of banks and building societies retreating from the high street.

Nationwide had initially committed to keeping its 696 branches (including Virgin Money) open until 2028, but has now extended its ‘Branch Promise’ until the end of the decade.

None of its branches will be closed during this period, with the building society confirming it applies even when both a Nationwide and Virgin Money branch are close to each other.

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ooThe commitment comes as 6,561 bank branches have closed since January 2015, according to research from Which?.

Between the start of 2025 and the end of 2026 alone, almost 350 Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland branches will close their doors.

Similarly, NatWest closed 53 branches in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, Barclays will close 99 branches, and Santander will close 95 branches before the end of the year.

Amid these closures, Nationwide says demand for physical banking services remains high.

In the 12 months to September 2025, there was an 11% increase in the number of customers using Nationwide branches, as 33% of current accounts and 22% of savings accounts were opened in a branch, according to the building society.

ATM usage rose by 5% in the same period, with a 17% increase of non-Nationwide customers using in-branch cash machines.

The increased demand for Nationwide’s physical banking services is especially high in the 133 towns and villages in the UK where there are no longer any other bank or building society branches.

In these towns, current account openings are up 29% year on year and in-branch ATM usage is up 25% overall, and 96% for non-Nationwide customers, the building society said.

Jessica Sheldon, deputy digital editor at MoneyWeek, said: “It’s so important customers can access face-to-face banking services if they need to.

“Banking is an essential service to many, including the most vulnerable, and while millions of people in the UK use online and mobile banking, IT outages can and do happen. It’s alarming to see how many bank branches have closed in the past decade.”

Why is Nationwide keeping its branches open?

In 2019, Nationwide first pledged to keep its branches open until at least 2026, and then renewed it to last until 2028.

The promise was also extended to include all Virgin Money branches last year after its acquisition of the bank in October 2024.

It has now renewed and extended its branch promise to 2030 as the building society says branch closures have a “disproportionate impact on vulnerable customers”. This can especially be the case for older people who rely on face-to-face services for baking support.

At the same time, the building society says younger people still rely on branches too as over one in ten new Nationwide student accounts were opened in branches this academic year.

Though other banks have justified their closures by arguing that many customers prefer to bank online and have instead diverted funds to digital innovation, Nationwide’s data shows that this is not the case for all people.

Dame Debbie Crosbie, group chief executive of Nationwide, said: “Our customers can be confident that they can bank with us whichever way they choose. Branches are important to our customers, to communities, and to the health of our High Streets. That’s why Nationwide will continue to keep branches open in addition to our investment in online and telephone channels.”

How to access banking services when your local branch is closed

It is becoming more difficult for some to access physical banking services amid the ongoing wave of bank closures.

Research by Which? in January 2024 found 30 parliamentary constituencies have no bank branch anywhere in them, leaving around 3 million people with no access to local face-to-face banking services.

If your local bank branch closes, you might consider moving to another bank or building society with a physical presence nearby. Some may have bank switching offers – for instance Nationwide currently offers £175 as a bonus when you switch.

If you cannot or do not want to switch providers, you can instead look at where your closest banking hub is.

A banking hub is a shared banking facility that lets customers from various banks and building societies carry out banking services like withdrawing or depositing money, making bill payments, or speaking to an adviser.

There are currently around 150 banking hubs in the UK, with plans to increase this to 350 over the next five years.

If there isn’t a banking hub nearby, another alternative is by using one of the 11,635 Post Office branches in the UK – most of these offer ‘everyday banking’ services such as withdrawals and deposits.