HSBC UK is trialling a ‘pop-up’ branch in three locations in South Wales to understand demand for the service.

The initiative, covering Abergavenny, Pontypridd and Blackwood, brings an additional and more flexible type of face-to-face guidance and support for the bank’s customers in addition to its physical branches, and will assess the local demand for this type of local support.

The dates and locations for the pop-up branches are:

· Blackwood – every Wednesday from 4th October to 13th December, open between 9:30am and midday, located within Blackwood Library

· Pontypridd – every Wednesday from 4th October to 13th December, open between 2:00pm and 4:30pm, located within Pontypridd Library in Gas Road.

· Abergavenny – every Friday from 6th October to 15th December, open between 10am and 3pm and will be located within the Cross Street Library.

Andy Ferns, HSBC UK’s Local Director said: “The design of our branch network has evolved over the years from one that was purely based in physical branches, to one that encompasses a broader range of local support beyond the traditional bank branch, including pop-up branches that are arranged locally to address the needs in each local area.

"While our customers can use the local Post Office for day-to-day cash transactions, we are bringing a temporary pop-up branch to Blackwood, Pontypridd and Abergavenny to help HSBC UK customers with ‘in the moment’ banking support including opening of accounts, queries on or support with online or mobile banking. Customers can also continue to use online, mobile or telephone banking, and our Live Chat service is available 24/7.

"These trial pop-ups will help us understand the appetite for this service in these Welsh towns and how and where we can best support our customers with pop-ups throughout 2024 and beyond.’’