Italian banking major UniCredit has decided to curtail branch access and urged staff to work from home as the Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the country.
The lender has made it mandatory for clients to book an appointment for branch visits, Reuters reported.
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Previously, UniCredit only recommended booking an appointment before visiting branches.
By making appointments mandatory, the lender joined its rivals such as Intesa Sanpaolo, Monte dei Paschi and Mediobanca’s retail arm CheBanca!.
In a message on its OneUniCredit website, the bank has asked all its employees at its central office to consider working from home in the wake of the current situation.
A spokesman for UniCredit said that currently over 70% of the bank’s staff can work remotely.
UniCredit is the first bank to adopt home working when the Covid-19 virus hit the country.
However, in June 2020, the bank eased travel bans for employees and ramped up return to office, as the first wave of coronavirus subsided.
UniCredit shuttered 70% of its branch network when the pandemic broke out in March.
Several banks have been carrying out downsizing initiatives lately as they navigate difficult waters.
Recently, the Spanish banking group Banco Sabadell planned to slash up to 2,000 jobs next year.
Lloyds Bank also asked the majority of its staff to continue working from home until at least spring 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.
