Less bank branches but more bank employees, bucking a downward trend over the past few years, were recorded in Greece for 2015, according to figures released by the European Central Bank.
Specifically, the number of bank branches in the country at the end of 2015 reached 2,543, down from 2,688 in 2014 and a whopping 3,847 in 2011.
The corresponding figures in the EU show a more gradual decrease in bank branches: 188,109 in 2015, 203,563 in 2014 and 223,136 in 2011.
Bank employees in Greece reached 46,086 in 2015, up from 45,654 the previous year, but significantly down from 59.953 in 2011.
On an EU-basis, the number of bank employees was down by 24,000 from 2015 to 2014, reaching 2.86 million.
The level of concentration in Greece’s banking sector was also increasing and still the highest in the EU, with the Greece’s five largest banks retaining 95.2 percent of total reserves.
