SBI Strike Postponed? Check Bank Holiday Calendar, Bakri Eid Closure This Week

Bank Holiday This Week: India’s largest public lender, the State Bank of India, will remain open on May 25 and May 26 after union representatives called off the proposed two-day nationwide strike. Earlier, SBI branches were expected to remain closed for five consecutive days from May 23 to May 28, including weekends and festival holidays.

SBI said the proposed strike by the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation (AISBISF) had been postponed. It added that all its branches will function normally and provide all regular banking services.

Still, banks are set to remain closed for several days, depending on regions this week due to regional festivals.

Under the Negotiable Instruments Act, banks in the listed cities will remain shut on these

dates. Customers, however, can continue using online banking, UPI, mobile banking, and ATM services during the holidays.

Banks To Remain Closed In Several Cities From May 26-28 Due To Bakri Eid, State Holiday

Banks will remain closed in several cities across India this week due to regional holidays and Bakri Eid celebrations, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar.

Date	Occasion	Cities Where Banks Closed
May 26, 2026	Birthday of Kazi Nazrul Islam	Kolkata
May 27, 2026	Eid-Ul-Adha (Bakri Eid)/Id-ul-Zuha	Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, New Delhi, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram
May 28, 2026	Bakri Eid (Id-Uz-Zuha)	Belapur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Vijayawada, Agartala, Jammu, Srinagar

Banks Timings

Most major banks in India, including SBI, Bank of India, and Punjab National Bank, operate between 10 am and 4 pm, while ICICI, HDFC, Axis, Yes Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank usually function from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm or 3:30 pm, depending on the branch. Bank of Baroda has slightly extended hours, operating between 9:45 am and 4:45 pm or 10 am to 5 pm, and Canara Bank typically works from 10 am to 3:30 pm.

Five-Day Workweek Demand

Though banks remain closed on second and fourth Saturdays of the month, bank unions have been demand five workweek. If approved, it would mean banks will remain all Saturdays and Sundays.

Earlier this year, bank unions went on strike. They said a five-day work week would reduce work pressure, improve efficiency, and allow employees more time with their families. Most central government offices and financial institutions in India already follow a five-day schedule, bank staff want the same.

To ensure customer services aren’t affected, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has proposed working 40 extra minutes a day from Monday to Friday. The forum points out that RBI, LIC, GIC, stock markets, forex and money markets already remain closed on Saturdays.