Money Box Live: The Future of Banking

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We’ve seen a big fall in the number of bank branches over the last decade. Around 6,700 bank and building society branches have closed since the beginning of 2015, according to Which? With more due to close this month.

Now the government is carrying out a review following concerns about the reduced access to face-to-face banking, and how this affects banking customers both in towns and in rural areas across the UK.

In this special programme Money Box Live asks what IS the future for banking and what do these changes mean for you? Will online banking ultimately be the end of banking face-to-face – or will there always be some form of bank to pop into?

Presenter Felicity Hannah is joined by Charles Randell, former chief of the regulator the Financial Conduct Authority and a member of the Financial Exclusion Commission, and Gareth Oakley, the CEO of Cash Access UK, to answer your questions.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah
Producer: Craig Henderson
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior news editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast at 3pm on Wednesday 24th June, 2026)
22 Jul English United Kingdom Business

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