Sumacàrcer celebrated the opening of a new bank branch after more than a year without operating physical offices. The arrival of Eurocaja Rural breaks a dynamic that is repeated in dozens of rural municipalities, where access to financial services has been gradually reduced. According to data from the Bank of Spain, the closure of branches in rural areas has intensified over the last decade, worsening the financial exclusion of thousands of people.
Until now, residents of the municipality depended on a single ATM and bus services with weekly or bi-weekly frequencies. This situation has particularly affected the elderly, the self-employed and small farmers, for whom face-to-face management remains essential.
A turning point after the closure of the last agency
The city was left without bank offices after the closure of the last branch in Cajamar, which was already operating with limited services and only two days a week. Since then, the lack of in-person care has become one of the main concerns of the Town Hall and the Valencian Agricultural Cooperative of Sumacàrcer.
The cooperative, with a long history in the municipality and its own credit section, is the one that promoted the proposal that allowed it to attract Eurocaja Rural. The procedures lasted months and required coordination between the financial institution, the municipality and the local social fabric.
The key role of the agricultural cooperative
The Valencian Agricultural Cooperative of Sumacàrcer acts not only as an economic engine, but also as a main actor in the municipality. Their involvement was decisive in demonstrating that there was a sufficient social and economic base to guarantee the viability of a branch with daily attention.
During an information meeting with neighbors, the managers of the cooperative detailed the steps taken and thanked the support shown by the management of Eurocaja Rural, which opted for a local banking model in the face of total digitalization.
An office with daily attention and comprehensive services
One of the most important aspects of the new branch is its daily operation. Unlike roaming services, the office will allow you to carry out any type of banking transaction without exceptional time restrictions.
This characteristic places Sumacàrcer in an unusual position in the rural environment, where many towns only have banking services one or two days a week, or have directly lost any direct point of contact.
Direct impact on daily life
The availability of a stable banking office, as Levante reports, influences key aspects such as paying bills, managing pensions, commercial activity and attracting new residents. For the Town Hall, it is a silent but decisive infrastructure.
Close access to financial services is one of the indicators that weighs most in the decision to establish a population, particularly among the elderly and families who value autonomy and administrative proximity.
Neighborhood support, a determining factor for its sustainability
The mayor of Sumacàrcer, David Pons, stressed that opening does not in itself guarantee the permanence of the service. During the opening ceremony, he made an explicit appeal to neighbors to use the office and consolidate their business.
The message is clear: the continuity of the branch will depend on the commitment of the municipality itself. Citizen involvement thus becomes a structural element of the strategy to combat depopulation.
A model focused on the rural future
Sumacàrcer’s experience reinforces the idea that cooperation between local entities, administrations and banks can reverse processes that seemed irreversible. Faced with the concentration of services in large urban centers, the municipality has chosen to defend physical presence as added value.
This approach is linked to territorial cohesion policies promoted by different administrations, which warn of the social and economic risk represented by the disappearance of basic services in rural areas.
A message that transcends the municipality
The opening of the Eurocaja Rural agency is not only local news. This is interpreted as a precedent for other municipalities seeking solutions to financial exclusion and population loss.
Sumacàrcer has shown that local initiative, supported by an active social base, can modify structural trends. The bank branch thus becomes more than a simple service: it is a declaration of intentions on the future of the municipality.
In a context of accelerated digital transformation, the decision to recover in-person care sends a clear message: modernization is not always about eliminating what is close, but rather about adapting it to the real needs of the population.
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