Rising digital demand pushes banks to shut down branches Posted : 2021-04-04 16:47 By Lee Min-hyung Major commercial lenders here are reshaping their sales strategies by speeding up closures of conventional branch offices and shifting to digital banking. Banks consider the move "inevitable" at a time when they have to cut fixed costs and focus more on establishing their own online and mobile ecosystems. Industry officials voiced their consensus that demand for physical office space would keep declining down the road and the office shutdown will continue picking up more steam for the next few years amid the pandemic-induced rise of digital banking.