Share of respondents who only use online banking Belgium Netherlands 2016
Banking is deemed an important part of Belgian culture with a relative high number of bank offices in the country. In 2015, for example, the total number of offices of banks established in Belgium reached approximately 4,519 in the Flemish region. This is due to the fact that many banking offices in Belgium are managed by entrepreneurs who are not directly on the payroll of the bank itself. Consequently, the decrease of bank branches, which characterizes the financial sector in most European countries, happens at a slower rate. Between 2008 and 2015, the population serviced by one credit institution increased from approximately 102,000 people in 2008 to approximately 113,000 people in 2015.