The European Central Bank has updated its annual structural financial indicators dataset for the European Union banking sector to the end of 2025. The data show a further contraction in the physical banking network and a smaller decline in staffing, while confirming that banking sector concentration still differs markedly across member states. The number of bank offices in the EU fell 2.62% from the end of 2024 to 122,889 by the end of 2025, with declines in 23 of the 27 countries ranging from 0.2% to 12.16%. Of all EU offices, 86.13% were in the euro area. The number of employees at credit institutions declined in 16 of the 27 member states, producing an EU-wide fall of 0.80%. Concentration, measured by the share of assets held by the five largest credit institutions in each country, ranged from 34.37% to 95.2% at national level, compared with an EU average of 69.33% at the end of 2025.
European Central Bank2026-06-12
European Central Bank updates EU banking structural indicators with 2.62% drop in bank offices at end of 2025
The European Central Bank updated its end-2025 structural financial indicators for the EU banking sector. The data show bank offices fell 2.62% to 122,889 and employee numbers declined 0.80% across the EU. Banking sector concentration remained uneven, with the five largest institutions' asset share ranging from 34.37% to 95.2% across member states.