NatWest to close 37 branches

NatWest is cutting another 37 branches, with closure dates already set for 34 of them and most of those shutdowns landing before the end of June 2026. Three more branches are still waiting for final dates because local cash alternatives or renovation work are not finished yet. (natwest.com) (express.co.uk) This is not a one-off decision made in April. NatWest had already announced at least 39 branch closures for 2026 and 2027 in January, including 32 new closures scheduled between May 2026 and February 2027. (moneysavingexpert.com) (news.sky.com) NatWest’s explanation is simple: fewer people are walking into branches, and more are using phones and laptops instead. On its branch closures page, the bank says demand for mobile and online services has risen sharply, and in February 2025 it said more than 10 million customers were using its mobile app. (natwest.com) (natwestgroup.com) The physical branch is not disappearing completely, but its job is changing. NatWest says it will keep investing in branches over the next three years while pushing more everyday tasks into the app, online banking, and video appointments with bank staff. (news.sky.com) (natwest.com) For customers who still need to hand over cash, pay in cheques, or talk to a person, the replacement is usually not another NatWest branch. The fallback network is a mix of Post Office counters, shared banking hubs, Royal Bank of Scotland branches inside the same group, and temporary “community pop-up” sites that NatWest says can stay for up to 12 weeks after a local closure. (moneysavingexpert.com) (natwest.com) Those shared banking hubs are becoming the new high-street compromise. Cash Access UK says 230 banking hubs and 140 deposit services are already open, and its hubs let customers of multiple banks withdraw cash, pay in notes and coins, deposit cheques, and get face-to-face help Monday to Friday. (cashaccess.co.uk 1) (cashaccess.co.uk 2) The regulator is not trying to stop every closure. The Financial Conduct Authority’s branch closure guidance tells banks to assess local impact and communicate changes properly, while the newer access-to-cash regime is meant to make sure communities do not lose reasonable cash services when branches vanish. (fca.org.uk) (questions-statements.parliament.uk) That still leaves a bigger national retreat. Which? said UK banks had passed 6,000 branch closures since 2015, which means NatWest’s latest list is part of a long redraw of the British high street rather than a sudden break. (which.co.uk) The people hit first are usually the ones who use branches for things apps do badly: cash-heavy small businesses, older customers, and towns where the branch was the last place to sort out a problem face to face. In places like Billericay, Cash Access UK says a banking hub was recommended only after the final bank branch closure in town. (moneysavingexpert.com) (essexmagazine.co.uk) So the real change is not just that 37 NatWest signs are coming down. It is that everyday banking is being split in two, with routine tasks pushed onto screens and the remaining in-person help moved into shared hubs, pop-up sites, and specialist appointments instead of the old full-service branch. (natwest.com) (cashaccess.co.uk)