Bangladesh to Extend Banking Hours again to 2:30pm As Lockdown Eases

Once again, the central bank has extended the banking hours for customers by 30 minutes to 2:30 p.m. as Bangladesh slowly begins to loosen its lock-up laws ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

Customers will be able to conduct bank transactions between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. as of May 10, Bangladesh Bank announced on Tuesday.

The updated schedule, which requires a 15-minute prayer break from 1:15 p.m., has been sent to the heads of all banking entities, the central bank said.

Yet banks will be allowed to remain open until 3 p.m. to finish up their regular operation.

Some banks are now offering customer services in certain of their offices on a small basis from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are already under instructions to shut at 2:00 p.m.

However, the central bank has recently increased the bank settlement time by one hour to two o'clock in the commercial areas of Dhaka and Chattogram during the coronavirus shutdown.

Additionally, the banks in these areas were allowed to remain open until 3:30 pm for other financial activities.