Check the calendar before going to the bank during the festive season: Banks will remain closed in many states this week, see state-wise list of RBI holidays.

With the holy festival of Shardiya Navratri, the festive bustle has reached its peak in the month of October. Due to the festive season, if you have any important work related to check clearance, draft making, KYC update or cash transaction by visiting the bank branch this week, then definitely check the official holiday calendar of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) before leaving home. According to the holiday list released by the Reserve Bank under the ‘Negotiable Instruments Act’, normal functioning of bank branches in many major states will be completely closed this weekend due to Maha Saptami (Durga Puja) and weekly Sundays. However, digital payments, ATM and mobile banking services will continue to operate uninterrupted.

As per the official notification of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the details of bank holidays during this current week (October 12 to October 18) are as follows:

• 12 to 16 October (Monday to Friday): During these five days, branches of all nationalized, private and cooperative banks across the country will remain open regularly and normal banking operations will continue.

• 17 October (Saturday) – Mahasaptami/Durga Puja: On this day, there will be a holiday in banks on the occasion of Durga Puja (Maha Saptami) in many states of Eastern and North-Eastern India including West Bengal (Kolkata), Tripura (Agartala), Assam (Guwahati), Sikkim (Gangtok), Odisha (Bhubaneswar), Bihar (Patna), Jharkhand (Ranchi), Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar) and Meghalaya (Shillong). Since it is the third Saturday of the month, banks in states where local festival holiday is not notified (like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra etc.), will remain open as normal.

• 18 October (Sunday) – Weekly Holiday / Maha Ashtami: Due to it being Sunday, all government and private banks across the country will remain completely closed. The holy festival of Maha Ashtami will also be celebrated on this day.

The week coming immediately after this week is going to be even shorter in terms of banking operations. Due to Mahanavami/Ayudha Puja on October 19 and Vijayadashami (Dussehra) on October 20, banks will remain closed for 2 to 3 consecutive days in most parts of the country including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow. Apart from this, banks will also remain closed on 24th October as it is the fourth Saturday of the month. Therefore, customers are advised to settle their major financial transactions and paperwork on time.

The closure of bank branches will not affect your emergency digital needs:

• ATM and Cash Recycler Machines: All ATMs and CDM machines will remain functional 24 hours for cash withdrawal and deposit.

• UPI and IMPS: Instant fund transfer services through Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and BHIM UPI will continue to operate without interruption.

• Net Banking and Mobile App: Online services like NEFT, RTGS and bill payments will be available 24×7.

• Delay in check clearance: In states where bank branches remain closed, the process of check clearance and draft preparation may be postponed till the next working day.