Digital Banking Transformation: Branch and Employee Numbers are Declining

New Trends in Digital Banking

In the last decade, while there has been a significant increase in the number of banks in Turkey, a notable decrease in the number of branches and employees has been observed. According to the latest report by the Turkish Banks Association (TBB), the total number of banks in Turkey has reached 68. Of these banks, 38 are deposit banks, 21 are development and investment banks, and 9 are participation banks.

Continued Decrease in Branch Numbers

As of September 2025, the total number of branches of deposit and development investment banks has decreased to 9,259. This figure shows a decline of 65 compared to the previous quarter and 200 compared to the same period last year. The number of branches, which was 11,280 ten years ago, has decreased by a total of 2,021 in the last decade.

Decrease in Employee Numbers

As of September 2025, the number of employees in the banking sector has dropped to 187,981. This signifies a decrease of 931 compared to the previous quarter and 585 compared to the same period last year. In deposit banks, there has been a decrease of 695 employees compared to the same period last year; however, in development and investment banks, an increase of 110 employees has been observed.

Why These Changes?

The TBB report emphasizes that the rapid development of alternative distribution channels outside of branches, the growing demand for mobile and digital banking services, and the procurement of some services from support service organizations have directly impacted the number of branches and employees. As of September 2025, the number of employees per 100,000 people is 219, while the number of branches per 100,000 people is measured as 10.8.