Banks across India will remain closed for 12 days in May 2026, according to the latest RBI bank holidays calendar. The closures begin with 1 May on account of Maharashtra Day, May Day (Labour Day), Buddha Purnima, and Birth Anniversary of Pandit Raghunath Murmu, followed by 3 May as a weekend holiday. The month continues with May 10 (Sunday), May 16 (Saturday), May 17 (Sunday), May 23 (Saturday), May 24 (Sunday), May 26 (Tuesday), May 27 (Wednesday), May 28 (Thursday), and May 31 (Sunday). As reported by The Times of India, this follows the RBI's official holiday calendar for 2026, with one long weekend spanning from May 1-3, followed by consecutive holidays that may encourage many to treat it as an extended break.
May 1 sees widespread closures across major cities including Agartala, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Itanagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada under the Negotiable Instruments Act. However, banks remain open in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Gangtok, Jaipur, Kohima and Shillong. May 9 sees West Bengal banks closed for Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary, while May 16 witnesses Sikkim banks closed for State Day. May 26 affects Tripura banks for Kazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti, and May 28 closes Belapur, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Jaipur, Jammu, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji and Patna branches. As reported by The Times of India, unlike months with only national holidays, May has several local observances meaning bank branches in one state may remain open while another in a different city stays closed on the same day.
Despite the bank closures, customers can continue accessing essential banking services. According to the RBI guidelines, online and mobile banking services remain operational during national holidays, unless notified for technical reasons. ATMs are available for cash withdrawals, and UPI and mobile app functions operate normally. However, transactions involving cheques and promissory notes are not available during these listed holidays, as reported by The Times of India. The closure of check clearance, cash deposits, and passbook updates will be impossible during the bank closures, making digital services crucial for banking needs. Customers are advised to check their specific branch holiday calendar before visiting, especially during the last week of May when multiple holidays fall close together.
The RBI has declared 13 official holidays during May 2026 for all public and private lenders, including the State Bank of India (SBI). As reported by The Times of India, the complete calendar includes May 9 for the Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore, May 16 for State Day, May 26 for the Birthday of Kazi Nazrul Islam, and May 27-28 for Eid-UI-Adha (Bakri-Eid)/Id-ul-Zuha. The calendar also includes five Sundays in May, with banks closed on 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 May, along with second Saturday (9 May) and fourth Saturday (23 May). May 10 (Sunday) and May 24 (Sunday) are weekly holidays across the nation, while May 16 (Saturday) will see closures in some states due to State Day. A large number of states are expected to observe Eid-Ul-Adha on May 27, including Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kerala, Nagaland, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Srinagar and Telangana.
The Indian stock market will remain closed on May 1 as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) will be shut for trading on account of Maharashtra Day. This marks the first market holiday of the month and comes during a holiday-shortened week. India's largest commodity exchange, the Multi-Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) will remain closed for the first session (9 am to 5 pm) on Maharashtra Day, with trading resuming in the evening session between 5 pm and 11:30 pm. The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) will remain closed for the entire day. In total, 16 stock market holidays are scheduled for 2026, of which seven have already passed. The BSE and NSE will next be closed on May 28 for Bakri Id, followed by June 26 (Muharram), September 14 (Ganesh Chaturthi), October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti), October 20 (Dussehra), November 10 (Diwali-Balipratipada), November 24 (Guru Nanak Jayanti), and December 25 (Christmas).
