Santander announced plans to close 44 branches, putting 291 jobs at risk, the latest in a series of closures by high street banks as customers increasingly move online, according to a BBC Business report. The Spanish-owned bank stated that 96% of its transactions are now conducted digitally.
The move follows Santander's announcement last year to close 95 branches, a quarter of its total, impacting 750 workers. Lloyds Bank is also planning to shut more than 100 branches by March under a scheme announced last year, according to BBC Business. Ministers have criticized the closure of bank branches, arguing it restricts access to cash for elderly and vulnerable people.
In other business news, Paul Patterson, the European boss of Fujitsu, the company behind the Post Office Horizon IT system scandal, will step down in March, according to BBC Business. Patterson, 60, will become non-executive chairman of Fujitsu's UK business, where he will "continue managing the company's response" to the inquiry into the scandal. The announcement is part of a long-planned transition, and Patterson is expected to stay with the company until the inquiry process is complete. Patterson has played a prominent role in Fujitsu's response to the Horizon scandal, representing the company at the public inquiry and at House of Commons select committee hearings.
Meanwhile, data shared with BBC Verify indicates that planning applications for new homes in England are at their highest level for four years. Applications for 335,000 homes outside London were lodged in 2025, up by 6% on 2024, according to Planning Portal. However, there are warnings that more needs to be done to meet Labour's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029, as separate government data released on Thursday suggests there has been a decrease in house building, according to BBC Business. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it had "overhauled the planning system and removed long-".
In the technology sector, the UK's advertising watchdog banned adverts from Coinbase, one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency firms, which it said implied crypto could ease people's cost of living concerns, according to BBC Technology. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints after a series of Coinbase ads in August depicted the UK in various states of disrepair alongside a satirical slogan and the exchange's logo. The ASA found they "trivialised the risks of cryptocurrency," which is largely unregulated in the UK. Coinbase said it disagreed with the watchdog's decision.
Finally, nearly three weeks into one of the most extreme internet shutdowns in history, some of Iran's 92 million citizens are beginning to get back online, but access appears to be tightly controlled, according to BBC Technology. The country cut off internet access on January 8, in what is widely seen as an attempt to stem the flow of information about a government crackdown on protesters. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the internet was blocked in response to what he described as "terrorist operations." Independent analysis indicates much of the country is still effectively cut off from the outside world.
Discussion
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment