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Banking operations in several parts of the country will come to a standstill tomorrow, Friday, 15 August, as the nation celebrates its 79th Independence Day. The day also coincides with Janmashtami, marking the birth of Lord Krishna, while in a few states, the Parsi New Year (Shahenshahi) will also be observed. These combined celebrations mean that banks will remain closed across multiple states.

According to the Reserve Bank of India’s holiday schedule, 15 August is a mandatory public holiday across the country for Independence Day, but Janmashtami-related closures will apply in certain regions. This will impact services such as in-person banking, cheque clearing, and NEFT/RTGS transfers for the day. ATMs, UPI, and online banking services will remain available, except during any scheduled maintenance or technical disruptions.

Long Bank Holiday Weekend

The holiday streak will not end with Independence Day. On Saturday, 16 August, many states will observe Janmashtami (Shravan Vad-8) and Krishna Jayanthi, leading to further bank closures in Aizawl (Mizoram), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Bhopal and Ranchi (Madhya Pradesh), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Chandigarh (UT), Gangtok (Sikkim), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Hyderabad (Telangana), Kanpur and Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), Shillong (Meghalaya), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Jammu and Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir), and Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh).

The long weekend will then conclude with Sunday, 17 August, a routine weekly holiday for banks nationwide.

August a Month of Multiple Bank Holidays

In total, August 2025 has 15 scheduled bank holidays, varying from state to state. While national holidays like Independence Day are uniform, religious and regional observances result in state-specific closures.

With this extended mid-month break, customers should complete time-sensitive transactions—such as cash withdrawals, large transfers, or cheque deposits—before Thursday, 14 August. Even though most digital platforms will function, processing delays for certain transactions are possible due to non-working days.

With Independence Day at the heart of this weekend’s closures and multiple regional festivals following, advance planning will be crucial for households, travellers, and businesses to avoid last-minute banking disruptions.