Las fuentes de información para el estudio de las actividades bancarias en España

Laburpena

The bankarization of our societies is a fact, which leads us to consider financial services as essential in the development of the economy -in general- and of domestic economies -in particular-. For this reason, the study of the strategies of localization and territorial implantation of financial entities is an important issue for Economic Geography. In this context, it is essential to approach the study of this sector, especially in moments of important changes in its functioning and spatial organization. Since the 2008 crisis, Spanish banking has been undergoing a harsh restructuring with mergers between entities, office closures and the digitization of the sector. The result is the modification of the banking map and access to banking services. One of the problems faced by the researcher who addresses this issue is the lack of sources of information. The lack of continuity in studying the spatial patterns and location dynamics of the banking sector is also a problem. Therefore, this work focuses on reviewing and presenting the available sources of information, comparing their characteristics and assessing the possibility of obtaining geographic information on the trajectory of the location of the banking sector in Spain.