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The Austrian bank branch network from 2000 to 2019 from a spatial perspective

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Abstract

This paper presents results of an analysis of the spatial distribution of bank branches in Austria over the period from January 2000 to December 2019 from two perspectives: First, we analyze the temporal development of bank branch availability at the municipality level. Second, we present estimates of travel distances to the nearest bank branch. At the end of 2019, 555 municipalities (27% of 2,096 Austrian municipalities) did not have a bank branch, which compares with 271 municipalities in January 2000. We show that the bulk of the increase in “branchless” municipalities occurred after 2014. The closure of the last branch in a municipality occurred predominantly in municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, and, overall, only a relatively small share of the Austrian population live in municipalities that became branchless (4.6% or 410,000 inhabitants). Given this trend, which we also see at the international level, we study travel distances to bank branches (as of 2019). On average, Austrian residents have to travel 1.5 km from their homes to the nearest bank. This distance varies from 2.7 km in municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants to 0.7 km in larger cities. A total of 77% of the population resides within a 2 km travel distance to the nearest bank. Although our results suggest that, on average, Austrians have reasonable access to bank branches, a more disaggregated analysis allows us to identify municipalities where travel distances are longer. For example, about 433,000 residents (4.9% of the population) have to travel more than 5 km. Municipalities with a high share of residents who have to travel farther than 5 km have 1,000 inhabitants on average and are located in all provinces except Vienna.

Suggested Citation

  • Helmut Stix, 2020. "The Austrian bank branch network from 2000 to 2019 from a spatial perspective," Financial Stability Report, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 40, pages 87-101.
  • Handle: RePEc:onb:oenbfs:y:2020:i:40:b:4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christoph Basten & Steven Ongena, 2019. "The Geography of Mortgage Lending in Times of FinTech," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 19-39, Swiss Finance Institute.
    2. Elisabeth Beckmann & Sarah Reiter & Helmut Stix, 2018. "A geographic perspective on banking in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q1-18, pages 26-47.
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    Cited by:

    1. Helmut Stix, 2020. "A spatial analysis of access to ATMs in Austria," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q3/20, pages 39-59.
    2. Heng Chen & Matthew Strathearn & Marcel Voia, 2021. "Consumer Cash Withdrawal Behaviour: Branch Networks and Online Financial Innovation," Staff Working Papers 21-28, Bank of Canada.
    3. Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso & Javier Jorge-Vazquez & Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández & Konrad Kolegowicz & Wojciech Szymla, 2022. "Financial Exclusion in Rural and Urban Contexts in Poland: A Threat to Achieving SDG Eight?," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-21, April.
    4. Giammatteo, Michele & Iezzi, Stefano & Zizza, Roberta, 2022. "Pecunia olet. Cash usage and the underground economy," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 107-127.
    5. Laura Barbieri & Mariarosa Borroni & Andrea Lippi & Mariacristina Piva & Simone Rossi, 2021. "Determinants of Bank Branch Presence in Local Areas: A Comparison Between North and South of Italy," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, August.
    6. Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso & Javier Jorge-Vazquez & Lieslie Gallegos Arias & Noelia Muñoz del Nogal, 2024. "What Factors Are Limiting Financial Inclusion and Development in Peru? Empirical Evidence," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-22, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    retail banking; bank branch; spatial analysis; Austria;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • E40 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - General

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