The lender said on Nov. 27 it planned to cut almost a fifth of its branches in Spain over the next three years in a drive to boost profitability while pursuing its digital transformation.

"The restructuring plan will generate a labour excess that Caixabank estimates at 2,157 people," the source said.

(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Writing by Paul Day; Editing by Andrei Khalip)