Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh Bank has announced a three-day holiday—October 20, 21, and 22—for all scheduled banks in the country on the occasion of the upcoming autumnal Durga Puja. As the following two days fall on Friday and Saturday, banks will remain closed for a total of five days, including the weekly holidays.
A circular regarding this (Circular Letter No. 15) was issued on Sunday (October 11) by the Supervisory Data Management and Analytics Department (SDAD) of Bangladesh Bank.
The circular states that this decision was made in light of a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on October 7. Accordingly, banks will remain closed on October 20, 21, and 22 (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). However, prior to this, banks will operate according to their normal schedules on October 17 (Saturday).
The circular further specifies that to ensure operational support for port and customs areas, bank branches and booths located at seaports, land ports, and airports must maintain limited operations for import-export activities during the government holidays (October 20–22) and the weekly holidays (October 23–24, Friday and Saturday).
Banks have been instructed to take necessary measures in this regard after consulting with local administrations and port or customs authorities. The central bank issued this directive in the public interest, exercising the powers conferred under Section 45 of the Bank Company Act, 1991.
BP/TD
