undertakes with a minimal agency network, after the cuts made in this group that works as self-employed for rural areas and private banking businesses. In the last two years, the entity has reduced this structure by 80%, that is, just over 2,200, leaving it at just 610.
At the end of 2018, BBVA had almost half of all the financial agents in our country, having more than 2,800 out of a total of 6,000, but since then the bank has been drastically lowering this figure. In the second half of 2020 alone, the number has dropped by 50%, to 600.
The adjustment made in the agency network occurs as a result of the commitment to digitization and the limitation of operations through traditional physical channels, which has accelerated after the outbreak of the pandemic, and the greater training requirements for financial professionals. But some entities are maintaining their strategy of offering their services through these collaborators, especially in small municipalities after the closure of branches. This is the case of , and .
Currently, according to data from the Bank of Spain, Santander has 979 agents for its banking activity, in addition to another 56 who work for its consumer subsidiary. Both numbers that have remained stable for two years, when BBVA began the drastic cut.
For its part, Unicaja already has 218 freelancers offering its products and services, a number that has grown while its branches have decreased, mainly in Castilla y León. Liberbank, which will be integrated into Unicaja at the end of June, also has one of the largest agency networks in Spain, made up of 163.
Once the merger is complete, the new group will have to decide whether to increase the number of these collaborators, as it is expected to announce the closure of some 400 offices and lay off some 2,000 of its own workers.
Mediolanum, in the lead
The bank with the largest volume of agents is , which has based its growth plan on our country, through this system, which is internally called ‘family bankers’. Today, there are almost 1,400 freelancers who carry out the commercial tasks of the subsidiary of the Italian group.
, due to its lower volume of branches, is another of the entities that appears with the largest number of agents on a regular basis. It has, specifically, 354.
Last week, BBVA launched an ERE for almost 13% of its workforce and announced the closure of 22% of its branches. This Tuesday the management of the bank will sit down again with the unions to advance in the negotiation of the collective dismissal. And it will do so amid pressure from the Government for the sector to lower the adjustments. BBVA’s ERE coincides in time with that of within the framework of the integration with Bankia.