DEUTSCHE BANK TO SHUT DOWN 20% OF ITS BRANCHES IN GERMANY

Deutsche Bank plans to shutter one in five branches in Germany as it seeks to save costs and capitalize on the changing habits of customers during the coronavirus pandemic, an executive said.

Philipp Gossow, who oversees the retail banking business in Germany, told Patricia Uhlig of Reuters that the reduction to some 400 branches from around 500 currently would occur primarily in urban locations and take place “as quickly as possible”.

The cull comes as Deutsche Bank undergoes a broad overhaul of its global operations that began in 2019 after years of losses.

German banks traditionally operate large numbers of branches compared with those in the Netherlands or Britain, where customers are more comfortable with digital banking. Banks throughout Europe are rethinking their branch strategies in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Deutsche's rival Commerzbank recently opted to shut 200 of its 1,000 branches and is considering closing hundreds more. “Coronavirus has further changed the demands placed on advisory services and the branch business,” Gossow said.

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