Chancellor Alistair Darling has pledged to provide a basic bank account for all in his Budget speech.
Darling said a new guarantee will give everyone a basic bank account, giving up to one million more people access over the next five years.
The move was presented as an effort to financially enfranchise the disadvantaged sectors of society.
According to the Treasury, 1.75 million adults have no access to a transactional bank account.
It is likely the banking industry will oppose any legislation forcing them to provide bank accounts to every citizen.
