Bank holidays next week, July 21-28: There are a number of holidays for banks across India during the next week, including for the Buddhist festival of Drukpa Tshe-zi in Gangtok, and the Saturday and Sunday weekend leaves. There is also a likely long weekend this week, so check with your local bank branch for their official schedule.
Notably, the second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays are weekly holidays for all public and private banks across India, including the State Bank of India (SBI). Besides this, there are a total of seven listed bank holidays in July this year.
The RBI and state governments create a list of holidays for banks, taking into account national and local occasions, operational requirements, religious celebrations and other cultural observances. The central bank makes the announcement through its official website and notifications to banks and other financial institutions.
Emergencies during bank holidays? What to know, and what you can do
You can continue to use online or mobile banking services even on national holidays — unless notified to users for technical or other reasons. For cash emergencies, ATMs are open for withdrawals, app and UPI function as usual.
All of the bank’s annual holiday calendar is declared by the RBI under provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act, which deals with the issuance of cheques and promissory notes. Transactions involving these instruments are thus not available during these listed holidays.
You should note that holidays may differ across states in India due to regional and local requirments. It is thus best to check with your local bank branch for their holiday schedule or list ahead of time to be properly informed and make preparations in case of emergencies or long weekends.
