SBS launches tablet-based branch platform for UK banks

By AI, Created 3:56 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – SBS has introduced Digital Branch, a cloud-native servicing platform for UK building societies and banks that replaces legacy teller systems and supports physical, mobile and pop-up branches from a single tablet. The launch targets rising pressure to keep local banking available while cutting costs and meeting FCA and access-to-cash obligations.

Why it matters: - UK banks and building societies are under pressure to keep in-person services available while reducing the cost and risk of legacy branch infrastructure. - More than 6,000 UK bank branches have closed since 2015, even as 70% of UK adults still visited a bank branch in 2024. - SBS Digital Branch is designed to help institutions keep branches viable in communities without a full core replacement program.

What happened: - SBS launched Digital Branch, a cloud-native, tablet-based branch servicing platform for UK building societies and banks. - The platform replaces legacy teller systems and on-premise servers with a single tablet-based service model. - The launch is part of SBS’s broader UK strategy to support mortgage and savings institutions as they modernise member experience.

The details: - SBS built Digital Branch in close partnership with UK building societies. - The platform supports physical branches, mobile operations and pop-up branches. - Digital Branch gives staff a single view of the customer across branch types. - The system embeds auditability and controls, including support for passbooks, Consumer Duty evidencing and Access-to-Cash obligations. - SBS says the platform has saved about 1,946 staff hours per branch each year and cut teller-related IT costs by up to 20%. - The architecture is modular, so institutions can start with one branch or one journey and expand over time. - SBS says the cloud-native setup lowers modernization risk because institutions can upgrade the branch channel without a full core replacement program.

Between the lines: - The product directly targets the economics of branch banking, where staffing, servers and manual workarounds have made locations expensive to run. - The tablet model also reflects a push to extend branch service beyond the high street, including community halls and care homes. - The launch suggests SBS is positioning branch technology as a compliance tool as much as a customer-service tool.

What’s next: - Institutions can adopt Digital Branch gradually, starting with a single location or customer journey. - SBS will likely use the launch to deepen its UK presence among mortgage and savings providers. - Banks and building societies facing branch rationalization pressure may test whether the platform can preserve local service at lower cost.

The bottom line: - SBS is betting that UK branch banking can survive if it becomes cheaper, more mobile and easier to audit.