The representatives of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), CECA and the National Union of Credit Cooperatives (Unacc) hereby agree to update action principle 5 of the "Strategic protocol to reinforce the social and sustainable commitment of the banking sector" regarding measures to promote financial inclusion by adding the following wording.
The associations, and therefore their member entities, express their firm commitment to successfully implement these solutions until the proposed objectives have been attained.
The Spanish banking sector is committed to financial inclusion and this is reflected in the extensive network of access points to our services, as shown by international comparisons. In fact, Spain has the third highest number of offices per 1,000 inhabitants in the European Union. In addition, it is deploying numerous initiatives to reinforce the access points to complement the extensive map of offices present in the country. Within the framework of this commitment, we present this roadmap with the goal of ensuring an adequate provision of face-to-face financial services for 100% of the territory, while also protecting those municipalities at risk of exclusion. Currently, the percentage of the population without access to face-to-face financial services - bank offices, ATMs, post office access points, financial agents or mobile offices - is 1.4% (around 660,000 inhabitants), affecting many municipalities across the country. In addition, there also exist many municipalities in rural areas with only one cash source, home to another 1.2% of the total population (about 560,000 inhabitants).
