Three Edinburgh Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) branches to shut as bank announces 18 closures across country

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has said it plans to close 18 of its 86 branches across Scotland – including three of its Edinburgh banks.

The closures, which will see the loss of 105 jobs across the country, will leave 69 branches in Scotland.

RBS, who are now under the NatWest Group banner, said the further reduction in branch numbers is due to declining use by customers – but insisted there will be no further closures before 2026.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has said it plans to close three of its Edinburgh branches.

The closures include three branches in Edinburgh, three in Glasgow, as well as Bathgate, East Kilbride, Helensburgh, Largs, Aberdeen, New Deer and Helensburgh.

The Edinburgh branches set to close are at Bernard Street, Nicolson Street and Bruntsfield Place.

In a statement, an RBS spokesperson said: “While we are increasingly engaging our customers digitally, our branch network remains important to us.

“We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we are investing £10.5m in our network across Scotland, from 2023-24, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and banking hubs.

“Our customers appreciate the speed and convenience of digital banking for everyday transactions, and often, when it comes to making bigger, more complex decisions they value speaking to our skilled and experienced colleagues.”

The spokesperson added that more than 97% of its retail accounts are opened over the internet.

Esther O’Hara, Unite industrial officer said: “We fear this latest announcement is just another stage in the phasing out of banks from our nation’s streets in the race to make all banking operations digital which is not suitable or accessible for many customers.

“It remains a bank which the taxpayer still owns by around 35% yet there is very little return for the public and no regard for the workforce and the customers the bank is supposed to serve.”