FCA: Access to cash coverage in the UK 2021 Q1

The FCA provides an overview of geographical cash access coverage in the UK at the end of the first quarter of 2021. This is the first in a series of regular updates that will monitor coverage over time. The FCA, together with the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), gathered data on cash access point locations and other access characteristics, including temporary closures, opening hours, and accessibility, for brick-and-mortar and mobile bank and building society branches, automated teller machines (ATMs), and the Post Office network. This analysis provides insights on the proportion of the population within a range of distances of certain types of cash access points measured from where people live. The FCA estimates that for access to any bank, building society, or Post Office branch, or any ATM (either free or pay-to-use): * 95.6% of the UK population are currently within 2km of a cash access point * 99.7% of the UK population are currently within 5km of a cash access point For free-to-use access points only: * 95.4% of the UK population are currently within 2km of a cash access point * 99.7% of the UK population are currently within 5km of a cash access point Our analysis of other access characteristics finds that: * About 14% of larger personal current account (PCA) providers, that is, larger banks and building societies which offer PCA, and 10% of other bank and building society branches were temporarily closed for 1 day or more during the first quarter of 2021. * At the end of the first quarter of 2021, the vast majority of bank and building society branches were operating on reduced hours compared to February 2020. * Of the brick-and-mortar bank and building society branches, 63% of larger PCA providers and 55% of other branches are wheelchair accessible, have step-free access, and have a hearing/induction loop. Excluding the branches for which some values are unknown as data was not provided, these percentages are 87% and 80% respectively.