Banking giant HSBC is set to shut down 62 more branches in the UK in 2017, as the bank says more people are now moving to use internet and mobile banking. This is in addition to the closure of 55 branches the bank had previously announced to close in 2017.
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The move will hit at least 180 jobs in the country. Last year, HSBC had shuttered 223 branches in the UK and figured as the top bank to close most branches in the UK for two years in a row.
"More customers are using mobile and internet banking than ever before, innovation such as Touch and Voice ID has proved extremely popular, and fewer people are using branches," Francesca McDonagh, HSBC Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management for UK and Europe, said.
"We will have fewer but better branches, with more empowered front line colleagues using a greater range of technology to support all our customers' needs," he added.
HSBC said more than 90 percent of its interactions with customers are now through digital channels, up from 80 percent last year.
Antonio Simoes, chief executive of HSBC Bank plc, said: "This marks the end of our branch restructuring programme. We now feel we have the right branch network that complements the other ways in which customers now choose to interact with us. We will continue to invest for the benefit of our customers as we build HSBC UK, a better bank for our people and customers."
