Banks across India will remain closed for four consecutive days between June 25 and June 28, 2026, according to the RBI holiday calendar. The closures are primarily due to Muharram observances in several states, along with the fourth Saturday and Sunday holidays. Banks will remain shut in major cities including Agartala, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, and Srinagar for Muharram (Yaom-EShahadath)/Last Day of Moharam/Ashoora. Since these holidays are region-specific, customers are advised to check with their local branch before planning any in-person banking transactions. However, banks will also be opened in several other cities such as Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Guwahati, Gangtok, Imphal, Itanagar, Jaipur, Kochi, Kohima, Panaji, Shillong, Shimla, and Thiruvananthapuram. This will be the fourth Saturday for banks, with all scheduled and non-scheduled banks nationwide observing public holidays on second and fourth Saturdays as per RBI guidelines effective September 1, 2015.
Stock exchanges National Stock Exchange and BSE will remain closed on Friday, June 26 due to Muharram, creating a three-day trading break for investors. According to The Economic Times, this marks the second exchange holiday in less than a month, with the last market holiday occurring on May 28 for Bakri Id. With Saturday and Sunday being regular weekend holidays, normal trading activities will resume from Monday, June 29. The closure is not limited to equity trading alone - equity derivatives, securities lending and borrowing, currency derivatives and electronic gold receipts will all remain suspended for the day, meaning the pause extends across virtually every major market segment that investors typically engage with. During the Saturday holiday, payment systems will not be operated, including Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Cheque Clearing operated by various Bankers' Clearing Houses, and the grid-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) and ECS suite. The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited will also remain shut for both trading sessions on the same day. MCX will observe partial closure on June 26, closing for its morning session from 9 am to 5 pm but reopening for the evening session from 5 pm to 11:30/11:55 pm. NCDEX will remain closed for the entire day on Friday, June 26.
The Kerala government has declared Friday, June 26 as a public holiday for Muharram, cancelling the earlier holiday announced for Thursday, June 25. This change was made after the sighting of the Muharram moon and following requests from several Muslim organisations asking that the public holiday be observed on the actual day of Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram. As a result, government offices, educational institutions and other public sector establishments in Kerala will remain closed on Friday instead of Thursday. Banks across Kerala will remain closed on this day, with customers advised to complete their transactions in advance as branch services will not be available on the holiday. However, online banking, mobile banking, UPI payments, and ATM services will continue to operate normally across the state.
Muharram, which marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year, is one of the four sacred months in Islam and a gazetted public holiday in India. As reported by NDTV Profit, the day carries deep religious and cultural significance, commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala. Government offices, schools, banks, and major financial markets across the country will remain closed on this occasion. The Islamic New Year has officially commenced with the arrival of Muharram, the sacred first month of the Hijri calendar, ushering in the year 1448 AH. Following crescent moon sightings, the month began on June 16 in Gulf nations, while India welcomed the new month a day later, on June 17. One of the most pivotal dates in the Islamic lunar calendar is the Day of Ashura, which falls on the 10th of Muharram. Due to regional variations in moon sightings, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will commemorate Ashura on June 25, while the Muslim community in India will observe the occasion on June 26. For Shia Muslims, Muharram is a period of mourning to remember Imam Hussain, with mourning ceremonies, prayers, and processions that honour his sacrifice. Many Sunni Muslims observe Ashura in a different way, often spending the day fasting, offering prayers, reading religious texts, and performing charitable acts.
Despite branch closures, online banking services will continue to operate without interruption across the country. Customers can use UPI platforms, mobile banking apps, internet banking services and ATMs for fund transfers, bill payments, cash withdrawals and other routine transactions. Most banking services, including account management requests and card-related services, will remain accessible through digital channels, ensuring customers can carry out essential financial activities. Customers requiring branch-based services may want to complete their banking work in advance to avoid any inconvenience during the holiday period. During bank holidays, online banking services remain available across the country to ensure uninterrupted access to banking services, with UPI and bank apps working round the clock whether banks are open or not, though they may be down due to scheduled maintenance.
