Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday extended the bank transaction time by an hour from August 2 to 5. However, banks will remain closed on August 1 and 4, said a circular of  the central bank issued on Wednesday, adding the measures were taken considering the current Covid-19 situation. It said all banks will operate on a limited scale from 10am to 2:30 pm instead of 1.30pm on August 2, 3 and 5 maintaining all Covid-safety protocols and with limited staff. Read: Banks to open from Sunday for limited hours However, banks can remain open till 4pm to conduct their own activities, post-customer hours on the days. Their other regular activities can also continue in compliance with government guidelines. After a four-day break due to  Eid-ul-Azha and weekly holidays, banks and financial institutions in Bangladesh opened on Sunday amid the countrywide 14-day strict lockdown that was enforced on July 23 to contain the spread of rising Covid. The other directives of Bangladesh Bank issued on July 13 this year will remain unchanged, said the circular. Read: Extended lockdown: 10am to 1 pm banking hours to continue As per that circular, during this period, the head offices and authorised dealers-designated branches of banks will remain open while state-owned banks will keep open one branch at the district level and one at the upazila level. Private banks, on the other hand, will keep open one branch at the district level and a maximum of two branches outside districts with limited manpower, according to the central bank. However, internet banking services will continue for 24 hours. All banks will have to ensure the operations of ATM kiosks to facilitate transactions through cards and by supplying adequate cash in the machines, as per the BB circular.

Banks’ transaction hours have been raised by half an hour as they will now operate from 10 am to 2:30 pm from May 24 to until May 30. Bangladesh Bank issued a circular on Sunday for all the banks in compliance with the Cabinet Division’s latest directives on the countrywide lockdown to contain Coronavirus transmission. The banks can keep open offices until 4 pm to do their necessary activities, said the BB circular. Read:Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 30 Currently, banks have been operating transactions from 10 am to 2 pm while in the normal situation they operate from 10 pm to 4 pm.     The BB circular said all other instructions will remain unchanged as per the circular of April 13. In that circular it said banks can keep one non-AD branch open within 2km radius in the city corporation areas and at upazila level one branch of each bank can remain open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday. Banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period. The BB circular said during the banking transaction hours, banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, the release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities. BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution. Read:Bank-Company (Amendment) Bill 2021 draft gets Cabinet nod Banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per the circular issued on August 5 last year, it said. Banks have to operate with limited staff under a roster system. They have to ensure operation of ATM booths to facilitate transaction through cards by supplying adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular issued on April 13.