Financial Services Union welcomes publication of the Northern Ireland Banking Roundtable report

The Financial Services Union (FSU) have welcomed the publication of the Northern Ireland Banking roundtable report by the Minister for Finance in Northen Ireland.

The finance minister in Northern Ireland, John O’Dowd hosted the roundtable discussion in December 2025. It was attended by various stakeholders including Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) , Cash Access UK, UK Finance, Credit Union and Post Office representatives and the Financial Services Union.

Speaking after a meeting today with a representative of the FCA John O’Connell, General Secretary of the FSU said:

“We welcome the ongoing engagement from the Minister of Finance in Northern Ireland and in particular his commitment to continuing the roundtable discussions on banking issues started by his predecessors Caoimhe Archibald and  Conor Murphy.

It is an important forum where stakeholder’s can discuss the various issues affecting the banking sector with regulators and legislators.

Bank branch closures, access to cash, banking hubs and the effect that changes in the banking sector can have on vulnerable people formed a core part of the discussion.

The report makes a number of recommendations for the regulatory authority, the Department of Finance in NI and the Treasury.

We look forward to playing an active role in the implementation of these recommendations.

The report also discusses more cooperation between the Department of Finance in NI and in the Republic of Ireland.

The FSU would like to see a joint approach adopted to banking and for an all-Ireland  banking forum to be established jointly hosted by the Department of Finance in NI and ROI.”

ENDS

You can read the full report here - Banking Roundtable Summary Report 2025