Banks and Stock Markets Closed Today for Half-Yearly Bank Holiday

Banks and stock markets across Bangladesh are closed for regular customer transactions today, Wednesday (July 1), for the scheduled half-yearly bank holiday.

While branch services are paused, your daily digital banking needs are mostly unaffected. ATMs, card transactions, and mobile financial services (MFS) will remain open as usual. However, some transactions that depend on interbank settlements may experience temporary delays.

Why Branches Are Closed

Every year, July 1 is designated as a bank holiday to allow financial institutions to finalize their accounts for the first six months of the year (January to June) and prepare half-yearly financial reports. Because stock market clearing and settlement rely entirely on the banking system, trading on the exchanges is also suspended for the day.

During this time, you cannot deposit or withdraw cash at any branch. All over-the-counter activities—including cheque clearing, demand drafts, and pay orders—are stopped.

Internal Work Continues

While customer-facing services are halted, the banks themselves are not fully shut down. The head offices of all scheduled banks, including Bangladesh Bank, and certain key branches will remain open on a limited scale. Bank officials will spend the day focused strictly on internal administrative and accounting tasks.