Belfius also closes 14 offices but "no jobs are lost"

Photo: MARC HERREMANS – MEDIENHAUS

After ING Belgium announced earlier this week that it would cut its network, the state bank Belfius appears to have fewer branches again next year. Jobs would not go away, however. This message De Tijd Thursday.

Belfius plans to scrap 14 of the 133 retail offices that will be under the bank’s own management next year. The state bank has 595 offices across the country. Most of it – almost 80 percent – is managed by independent agents. These independently managed agencies are not covered by the measures announced by Belfius.

The offices that will disappear in the coming months are mainly facilities that receive few visitors today. Belfius has been filtering the less popular offices from its network for several years.

This year the bank has already closed at least 23 branches from its network. This has enabled Belfius to reduce its office network by a little more than a fifth over the past five years.

These measures should not have any consequences for employment at the bank. The employees who work in the target offices can work in a different branch in the region or get a different position at the bank, says De Tijd.