11 September 2019

Banking in Europe: EBF publishes 2019 Facts & Figures

The EBF has published Banking in Europe; the 2019 Facts & Figures, its annual update on the banking sector in Europe. The publication shows that the European banking sector, both as measured in terms of staff numbers and branches, continued to contract as the industry continued to improve efficiency while attempting to bolster its profitability.

The Banking in Europe overview shows that banks last year continued to scale back their physical presence across Europe as having a widespread branch network become less important. Clients increasingly interact with banks through digital channels instead of branches.

The total number of credit institutions in the European Union fell by 2.6% in 2018 to 6,088 institutions, down by 2,437, or 29 percent, since the contraction began in 2008. Last year’s decline was smaller than in recent years and was most notable in Germany, Italy, Austria and Ireland. The number of credit institutions increased last year in seven countries, most notably in the United Kingdom.

The total number of bank branches in the EU last year declined to approximately 174,000, down 5.6 percent, or about 10,000 branches, when compared to the end of 2017. Compared to 2008 the total number of bank branches has declined 27%, or by almost 65,000, reflecting the accelerating uptake of online and mobile banking services in recent years. In 2018 more than half of all people in the EU, 54 percent, used Internet banking, compared to 51% in 2017 and 29 percent in 2008.

The number of people working for credit institutions in the EU fell to the lowest level since the ECB started measuring this in 1997 and stood at approximately 2.67 million people at the end of 2018, compared to 2.74 million a year earlier. This compares to 3.26 million in 2008. Two-thirds of all bank staff in the EU is employed by a bank headquartered in one of the five largest EU member states.

The total deposits from businesses and households grew by 4 percent to €13 trillion, with €9.9 trillion in deposits in the euro area. Deposits from households rose 4.2 percent compared to a year earlier while business (non-financial corporation) deposits increased 3.6 percent.

The value of loans to EU households increased 2.5 percent to €8.3 trillion, led higher by loans to households in the euro area, which grew for a fourth consecutive year. The value of loans to households in the eurozone has risen by some €500 billion since 2014.

Banking in Europe; the 2019 EBF Facts & Figures is a multi-faceted digital resource with key data about banking in Europe. It also includes data on the European economy, the performance and structure of the banking sector and the digital transformation of banks. The data is based on publicly available information from the European Central Bank, the European Commission, Eurostat, the European Banking Authority and the EBF and its the members.

In addition to the public data, Banking in Europe 2019 includes comprehensive national bank sector data provided through all 32 national banking associations that are members of the EBF.

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