Dhaka ATMs Run Out of Cash Amid Holiday Eid Rush

Hundreds of holidaymakers across the capital are facing severe difficulties withdrawing money from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) right before the Eid-ul-Azha festival. Despite clear instructions from the central bank to keep machines running, many booths have run out of cash or slapped strict limits on withdrawals.

With all scheduled commercial banks shutting doors for a long seven-day holiday, city residents have been forced to rely entirely on automated booths for their festive shopping and travel expenses.

Spot checks at several booths across Malibagh, Rampura, Mouchak, Purana Paltan, and Moghbazar revealed a chaotic picture. ATMs belonging to financially weaker private banks were found completely locked down or displaying "out of cash" messages.

To manage the massive holiday rush, several healthier commercial lenders have started blocking cards issued by rival banks, reserving their remaining cash strictly for their own account holders.

"The withdrawal pressure is immense; we are having to reload our city machines up to four times a day," a private bank's card division chief said on condition of anonymity. "The real problem is that a few banks facing a liquidity crunch are not loading their booths at all. Their desperate customers are crowding into compliant banks' booths, draining them instantly."

Even at functioning cash points, banks have drastically cut maximum single-transaction limits for cross-bank network cards, leaving citizens stranded ahead of the critical holiday season.