One in five people in NI lost their local bank within three years, report saysThe report said there are 16,000 cash access points in Northern Ireland compared to 50,000 in Scotland and 27,000 in Wales. ‌The committee's report recommended that the Executive should examine alternative measures of how available public funds could be used to support local banking and financial services provision. ‌The committee launched its inquiry into the banking and financial services landscape following a number of local bank branch closures since 2020, as well as the arrival of banking hubs. The report said there are 16,000 cash access points in Northern Ireland compared to 50,000 in Scotland and 27,000 in Wales. The committee welcomed the establishment of banking hubs, shared areas which offer banking services, but said "they do not replace bank branches".