Banks across India will observe three holidays between August 17-23, according to the Reserve Bank of India's official holiday calendar. The week begins with no holidays on Monday, August 17, or Tuesday, August 18, allowing branches to function normally on both days. However, Wednesday, August 19, will see the first closure due to a state-specific holiday in Tripura, while Saturday, August 22, will be the fourth Saturday of the month with nationwide closures. The week concludes with Sunday, August 23, the regular weekly off observed by all banks nationwide. As per the latest reports, banks are expected to remain open and operate normally on August 17, 18, 20, and 21 across most parts of the country, with physical branches of major lenders like SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and others remaining closed only on the specified dates.
The first bank holiday falls on Wednesday, August 19, when banks in Agartala, Tripura, will be shut on account of the birthday of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. This is a state-specific bank holiday that does not apply to branches outside Tripura, meaning customers elsewhere in the country can expect normal banking services on this date. Thursday, August 20, and Friday, August 21, have no listed holidays, with branches nationwide remaining open throughout these days. However, bank customers in Agartala should complete branch-related work in advance if they need banking services around the August 19 holiday, as no physical branch services will be available during this regional closure. The closure is specific to Agartala and not nationwide, with branches in other cities operating normally on August 19. Regional holidays differ from state to state as they take into account local festivals and observances, ensuring uniform banking operations across India while accommodating regional cultural practices.
Despite physical branch closures, digital banking services will function normally during all three closures. According to the RBI's notification, UPI transactions, net banking, mobile banking apps, NEFT, RTGS and ATM withdrawals will continue to work through the closures on August 19, 23, and 22. As per the latest reports, RTGS, NEFT, UPI and internet banking services operate continuously throughout the holidays, with customers able to use digital banking services to transfer funds, pay bills and shop online at any hour of the day, including Sundays, second and fourth Saturdays and on official bank holidays. Transaction processing remains uninterrupted, with digital transactions reaching completion in less than one minute or within thirty minutes in most situations. ATMs will also remain operational throughout the closure period. However, transactions that require physical branch visits, including cheque processing, issuance of demand drafts and large cash transactions, will not be available during branch closures.
Beyond the August 19 Tripura holiday, several more bank holidays are scheduled across different states in August. On August 25, banks in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh will remain closed for Milad-Un-Nabi/First Onam/Milad-i-Sherif (Birthday of Prophet Muhammed). On August 26, banks in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will remain closed for Id-E-Milad/Baravafat/Milad-un-Nabi (Birthday of Prophet Mohammad)/Thiruvonam. On August 28, branches in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh will remain closed for Raksha Bandhan/Pang-Lhabsol/Friday following Eid-i-Milad-ul-Nabi/Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi/Ayyankali Jayanthi. These regional holidays reflect the RBI's policy of accommodating local cultural and religious observances while maintaining uniform banking operations across the country.
