Nationwide pledges to keep all of its locations open until at least 2030

The building society has reaffirmed its commitment to maintain all Virgin Money and Nationwide high street locations open until at least 2030

Contrary to the trend of banks and building societies withdrawing from the high street, every single branch of Virgin Money and Nationwide will remain open until at least 2030.

Originally pledging to maintain its 696 locations (including Virgin Money) through 2028, Nationwide has now extended its Branch Promise through the end of the decade.

The building society has confirmed that none of its branches will be closed during this time, even if a Virgin Money and Nationwide branch are nearby.

Oo According to research from Which, 6,561 bank branches have closed since January 2015.

Nearly 350 branches of Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland will close between the beginning of 2025 and the end of 2026 alone.

In a similar vein, NatWest shut down 53 locations during the first half of the year. Before the year ends, Santander will close 95 locations and Barclays will close 99.

Nationwide claims that there is still a strong demand for physical banking services despite these closures.

According to the building society, 33 percent of current accounts and 22 percent of savings accounts were opened in a branch during the 12 months leading up to September 2025, resulting in an 11 percent increase in the number of customers utilizing Nationwide branches.

During the same time period, non-Nationwide customers' use of in-branch cash machines increased by 17%, while ATM usage increased by 5%.

In the 133 towns and villages in the UK where there are no longer any other bank or building society branches, there is a particularly high demand for nationwide physical banking services.

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

"It's crucial that customers have access to in-person banking services if necessary," stated Jessica Sheldon, deputy digital editor at BFIA.

Even though millions of people in the UK use online and mobile banking, IT outages can and do occur. Banking is a vital service for many, including the most vulnerable. The number of bank locations that have closed over the last ten years is concerning. A "

Why does Nationwide continue to operate its branches?

Nationwide first promised to keep its branches open until at least 2026 in 2019, and it later extended that commitment to 2028.

Following its acquisition of the bank in October 2024, the pledge was also expanded to cover all Virgin Money locations last year.

According to the building society, branch closures have a "disproportionate impact on vulnerable customers," so it has now extended and renewed its branch promise through 2030. This may be particularly true for elderly individuals who depend on in-person assistance with baking.

However, since more than 10% of new Nationwide student accounts were opened in branches this academic year, the building society claims that younger people still depend on branches as well.

Nationwide data indicates that this is not the case for everyone, despite the fact that other banks have used the argument that many customers prefer to bank online and have instead redirected funds to digital innovation to justify their closures.

"Our customers can be confident that they can bank with us whichever way they choose," stated Dame Debbie Crosbie, group chief executive of Nationwide. The health of our High Streets, communities, and our customers all depend on our branches. For this reason, Nationwide will keep its branches open in addition to investing in phone and internet channels. A "

When your local branch is closed, how can you still access banking services?

The continuous wave of bank closures is making it harder for some people to get physical banking services.

According to a January 2024 Which? study, there are no bank branches in 30 parliamentary constituencies, which means that about 3 million people lack access to local in-person banking services.

In the event that your neighborhood bank branch closes, you may want to relocate to a different bank or establish a community with a physical presence in the area. There may be bank switching incentives available. For example, Nationwide currently offers a bonus of £175 upon switching.

You can check the location of your nearest banking hub if you are unable or unwilling to change providers.

Customers from different banks and building societies can use a banking hub, which is a shared banking facility, to perform banking services like depositing or withdrawing funds, paying bills, or consulting an advisor.

The UK currently has about 150 banking hubs, and over the next five years, this number is expected to rise to 350.

Using one of the 11,635 Post Office branches in the UKthe majority of which provide standard banking services like deposits and withdrawalsis an additional option if there isn't a banking hub close by.

Learn More About NatWest Barclays and the Nationwide Building Society.