Branches of the commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) witness a huge crowd on the first day of operations on Wednesday.
The bank branches re-opened on the day through a Bangladesh Bank circular, issued a day back, after the government relaxed curfew, imposed earlier to quell violent protests.
Bank officials said that withdrawals were higher than deposits on the day as huge number of customers visited branches physically to meet their needs.
A senior officer at Hatirpool Sub-Branch of Islami Bank Bangladesh told Bangladesh Post that the branch transacted about Tk 45 crore including fund transfer and withdrawal in both local and interbank.
"We handled a total of 60 transaction till 2.30 pm. Although the timeframe was fixed from 11 am to 3 pm but we had to close by 2.30", he added.
Tuesday, Bangladesh Bank served a notice to the managing directors (MD) of all banks to start banking on a limited basis.
The MDs were told that 50 percent of the bank’s branches should be kept open on Wednesday and 75 percent of the branches on Thursday.
The directive also states that during the relaxation of curfew from 11 am to 3 pm, banking services should be provided in limited form in designated branches by ensuring proper security.
Banks will take initiative to keep branches open as per their convenience. Generally banking transactions take place from 10 am to 4 pm, and the official banking hours is from 10 am to 6 pm.
Some bank branches in Motijheel commercial area were seen more crowded with customers. Bankers say that the rush of customers may increase with time.
According to the notice, limited banking facilities refer to basic banking, i.e. deposit and withdrawal facilities. Loans, pay orders, account opening and other services will not be available at this time. Banks have been advised to take initiatives to bring in officers associated with providing basic services only.
