Marrakech – Morocco’s banking network shrank in 2025, with lenders shutting 180 branches against 29 openings, according to the latest implantation report from Bank Al-Maghrib’s Directorate of Statistics and Data Management. The net loss of 151 branches brought the national total to 5,550 by year-end, down from 5,701 in 2024.
The contraction was concentrated among conventional banks. This category fell from 5,486 branches to 5,331, absorbing 180 closures against only 25 openings. Offshore banks held steady at nine outlets, recording no movement in either direction.
Participative banks bucked the trend. The Islamic finance segment grew from 206 branches to 210, adding four openings with no closures. Bank Al Yousr and Dar Al-Amane each opened two and one branches respectively, while Al Akhdar Bank added one.
Among conventional lenders, Crédit Populaire du Maroc recorded the steepest decline. The group closed 66 branches and opened one, ending the year with 1,269 outlets. Bank of Africa shut 43 branches to finish at 593, while Attijariwafa Bank closed 27 against two openings, settling at 904.
Other lenders trimmed more modestly. Société Générale Marocaine de Banques (Saham Bank) closed 16 branches to reach 248, and Banque Marocaine pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (BMCI) shed 14 to end at 236. Crédit Agricole du Maroc closed 12 and opened two, finishing at 480.
Not every conventional bank retreated. Al Barid Bank expanded, opening seven branches to reach 950, the second-largest network in the country. Crédit Immobilier et Hôtelier (CIH) added 13 openings to close at 346.
Regionally, the closures fell unevenly. Casablanca-Settat, the country’s largest banking region, lost the most in absolute terms, dropping from 1,612 branches to 1,559 after 59 closures and six openings. Rab-Salé-Kénitra followed, falling from 854 to 829 as 30 branches closed against five openings.
Fès-Meknès registered 20 closures with no openings, sliding to 645. Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma and Marrakech-Safi each lost 17 branches, ending at 530 and 489 respectively. The Oriental region shed 14 to reach 493.
Two regions posted gains. Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra rose from 73 to 74 branches, and Dakhla-Oued Ed Dahab held at 32 after one opening offset one closure.
The report also measured banking density, calculated by dividing the adult population by the number of branches, excluding offshore outlets. The estimate drew on HCP demographic projections for 2025, based on the 2024 general census. Nationally, density stood at 4,862 adults per branch.
Access varied sharply across regions. Drâa-Tafilalet recorded the lowest coverage at 7,870 adults per branch, followed by Marrakech-Safi at 7,201 and Beni Mellal-Khénifra at 6,567. Casablanca-Settat offered the densest network at 3,681, ahead of the Oriental region at 3,460.
The annex detailed branch distribution by locality. Casablanca alone hosted 1,109 outlets, while Rabat counted 291 and Marrakech 278. Smaller towns often held a single branch, typically Al Barid Bank or Crédit Populaire du Maroc, extending coverage into rural areas.
The figures point to a network in consolidation, driven primarily by digitization, cost pressures on physical branches, and shifting customer habits. Conventional banks are pruning outlets they no longer need – often overlapping or underused ones – as banking moves online, while participative banks continue a measured expansion from a smaller base.
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