Banking transactions will be extended by one hour from Thursday as another round of nationwide goes into effect to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
From Thursday, banking transactions will be carried out from 10am to 2pm and banks will remain open till 3:30pm, according to a Bangladesh Bank notice issued on Wednesday.
Banking activities will continue on a limited scale during the extended period of restrictions on public movement and gatherings from May 6 to May 16.
Also read - Banks to remain open on a limited scale amid lockdown
The central bank said that the officials and employees of banks must stay at their respective workstations during the Eid holidays.
Bank branches in the garment industrial areas — Dhaka Metropolitan City, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj, and Chittagong — must be open on May 10 and May 13 for the convenience of payment of workers’ salaries, bonuses, and other allowances before Eid and for the continuation of export trade, the central bank notice reads.
Payment and clearing systems introduced by the central bank should continue operating for all types of deposits, withdrawals and distribution of allowance under the various social programs of the government, remittance payments, and payment of utility bills.
The government and the central bank’s instructions on hygiene and health guidelines should be ensured among bank officials, the notice adds.
Bank branches, sub-branches, booths located in the sea, land and airports, and customs areas should remain open at all times by consulting with the local administration and customs authorities.
The central bank also asked other banks to keep adequate cash at their branches and ATM booths to ensure services to clients.
Also read - NBFIs to remain open on limited scale during this lockdown
Non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) will also remain open on a limited scale amid the extended lockdown to provide emergency financial services to clients.
Only two branches of an NBFI — one in Dhaka and another outside the capital — and the main offices will remain open from 10am to 2pm.
Except on weekly and government holidays, the NBFIs will remain open to provide emergency financial services such as cash deposits on maturity and paying the instalments of loans, according to a Bangladesh Bank notice.
