EghtesadOnline: There are more than 22,000 bank branches in Iran, about half of which are not needed, a deputy minister of economy said on Sunday.

EghtesadOnline: A new report by Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture highlights the fact that Iran’s banks and credit institutions have too many branches compared to both international and regional counterparts.

EghtesadOnline: The unusually high number of bank branches has long been a source of concern for both economic experts and government officials, giving rise to calls for cutting the number of barely used and costly branches.