Limited scale banking to continue until May 23

Banks will continue to operate on weekdays until 2:00pm until May 23, after the government decided to again extend the ongoing restrictions on public movement and gathering in a bid to stop further spread of Covid-19.

Bangladesh Bank issued a notice on Sunday, where it said that banking transactions will be carried out from 10:00am to 2:00pm, while banks will remain open till 3:30pm.

Banking activities will continue on a limited scale during the extended period of restrictions on public movement and gatherings from May 17 to May 23, it also said.

Related directives issued in the previous circulars will also remain in effect, the notice added.

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The central bank also asked other banks to keep adequate cash at their branches and ATM booths to ensure services to clients.

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 the central bank notice.

Health experts also suggested that the current restrictions should continue to reduce the risk of the deadly virus in the country.

This year, the government initially imposed the countrywide restrictions on public movement on April 5, with the strict lockdown put into effect from April 14. The lockdown was later extended until May 16.