foreign banks

Deutsche Bank to close 1 in 5 German branches

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Deutsche Bank to close 1 in 5 German branches

The Deutsche Bank logo is pictured at the company's headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on January 30, 2020. - Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank said that it lost 5.7 billion euros ($6.3 billion) in 2019, its fifth annual loss in a row and its second-worst ever result. (Photo by Daniel ROLAND / AFP)

AFP

Germany's largest bank plans to reduce its high-street footprint from 500 to 400 branches 'as quickly as possible'

Deutsche Bank said on Tuesday, September 22, it will close one-fifth of its German branches to cut costs and adapt to changing consumer habits in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Germany’s largest bank plans to reduce its high-street footprint from 500 to 400 branches “as quickly as possible,” said Philipp Gossow, head of the private banking division.

“Customer demand for advice has increased significantly since the corona crisis. But customers go to the branch less often for advice” as they become more comfortable with online tools, Gossow told a conference in Frankfurt.

The closures are to take place mainly in urban locations.

Related layoffs will be part of the 18,000 job cuts already announced in 2019, the bank said. 

The move comes after German rival Commerzbank said it would slash its high-street presence and cut 10,000 jobs.

Deutsche has struggled in recent years amid a series of scandals, and is undergoing a restructuring that pivots operations away from investment banking.

Deutsche lost almost 10% of its stock market value on Monday, September 21, after media reports said it was allegedly involved in money laundering while its now-chief executive Christian Sewing was head of the audit division. 

Deutsche posted a 2nd quarter net loss of 77 million euros ($91 million) on the back of risk provisions to bolster itself against the pandemic. 

COVID-19 has prompted more card and online transactions in traditionally cash-loving Germany, partly because of a desire to avoid touching notes and coins.

Card payments will surpass cash transactions for the first time in the country this year, according to research at Euromonitor International, a trend that lessens the need for brick-and-mortar bank branches. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!