Silvia Baldassarre , Manuel Cavola , Eduardo Pipicelli
{"title":"Bank branch desertification and the design of a postal banking network","authors":"Silvia Baldassarre , Manuel Cavola , Eduardo Pipicelli","doi":"10.1016/j.seps.2025.102216","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The desertification of bank branches, driven by digital transformation, has exacerbated financial exclusion among individuals less keen to adopt digital channels or those living in lower-income and less densely populated regions. In this scenario, postal operators have emerged as main competitors in providing physical and face-to-face financial services in areas without a banking presence, leveraging their capillary network of post offices. In this work, we propose a mathematical model to support postal providers in decision-making concerning the network design for consulting services. The model aims to maximize the attracted demand of customers who are financially excluded due to branch closures, by identifying the best locations among post offices where to activate consulting services and planning the availability in terms of time windows. The model has been applied to the rural areas of the Campania region in southern Italy, where bank branch closures have significantly impacted customers’ access to banking services. The results demonstrate that the model can effectively support the consulting network design process, offering an effective framework for making appropriate decisions based on preferred provision policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22033,"journal":{"name":"Socio-economic Planning Sciences","volume":"100 ","pages":"Article 102216"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Socio-economic Planning Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038012125000655","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The desertification of bank branches, driven by digital transformation, has exacerbated financial exclusion among individuals less keen to adopt digital channels or those living in lower-income and less densely populated regions. In this scenario, postal operators have emerged as main competitors in providing physical and face-to-face financial services in areas without a banking presence, leveraging their capillary network of post offices. In this work, we propose a mathematical model to support postal providers in decision-making concerning the network design for consulting services. The model aims to maximize the attracted demand of customers who are financially excluded due to branch closures, by identifying the best locations among post offices where to activate consulting services and planning the availability in terms of time windows. The model has been applied to the rural areas of the Campania region in southern Italy, where bank branch closures have significantly impacted customers’ access to banking services. The results demonstrate that the model can effectively support the consulting network design process, offering an effective framework for making appropriate decisions based on preferred provision policy.
期刊介绍:
Studies directed toward the more effective utilization of existing resources, e.g. mathematical programming models of health care delivery systems with relevance to more effective program design; systems analysis of fire outbreaks and its relevance to the location of fire stations; statistical analysis of the efficiency of a developing country economy or industry.
Studies relating to the interaction of various segments of society and technology, e.g. the effects of government health policies on the utilization and design of hospital facilities; the relationship between housing density and the demands on public transportation or other service facilities: patterns and implications of urban development and air or water pollution.
Studies devoted to the anticipations of and response to future needs for social, health and other human services, e.g. the relationship between industrial growth and the development of educational resources in affected areas; investigation of future demands for material and child health resources in a developing country; design of effective recycling in an urban setting.