The Union Finance Ministry has made it clear that the plan to start a five-day banking week will not be implemented in the financial year 2025-26 (which starts from April 2025 and ends in March 2026). According to sources, the main reason is that this change might disrupt the normal working of banks and affect people who rely on banking services.
Currently, most banks in India are open on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of the month, along with weekdays (Monday to Friday). The proposal was to give bank employees a full two-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday off every week), like in many other sectors. This is being discussed with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), the group that represents the interests of banks.
However, a senior government official has said that although talks are still happening, the five-day work week is unlikely to begin this year. The official explained that Saturdays are very important for many customers who are busy on weekdays. Many people prefer visiting banks on Saturdays to complete their work, especially those who are working or running businesses during the week.
If banks close on all Saturdays, it could cause inconvenience to customers, particularly in rural or semi-urban areas where online banking is not yet fully used or trusted. So, for now, the government has decided not to move forward with the five-day week plan to avoid causing any trouble to the public or the banking system.
Bank Employees had announced a strike in March 2025 due to non-fulfillment of demands such as 5 Day Banking, Adequate Recruitment, etc. but the strike was postponed due to meetings held between Bank Unions, Labour Commissioner, IBA, and Bank Management. In the meeting it was decided that the demands of Bank employees will be looked into and resolved at the earliest.
