Bank holiday tomorrow: Are banks open or closed on February 26 on account of Mahashivratri?

Bank holiday tomorrow: State-run and private banks in several states across India will remain closed on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, for services on account of the Mahashivratri festival. According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s regional bank holiday calendar, all banks will remain closed in 22 cities. The holiday is recognised under RBI's ‘Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act’ category.

However, Mahashivratri is not a national holiday, so bank branches in several other states will remain open for services. Account holders and customers are advised to verify the bank holidays in their respective regions before visiting the physical branch, as they will not be able to utilise the offline bank services. 

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Banks are closed on all national and local holidays, Sundays, second Saturdays, and fourth Saturdays of each month. All bank branches are open on the first, third and fifth Saturdays unless a holiday is declared in the RBI holiday list. Due to state-specific holidays, bank holidays in India vary from state to state.

Banks closed on Mahashivratri?

On February 26, all state-run and private banks will be closed in cities including Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Hyderabad – Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad – Telangana, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Shimla, Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

According to the RBI calendar, banks will remain open for services in states such as Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Bengal, New Delhi, Goa, Bihar and Meghalaya on February 26, 2025.

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Mahashivratri bank holiday

Mahashivaratri is an annual Hindu celebration to honor the Lord or deity Shiva. According to the Hindu calendar, the event is held on the fourteenth day of the first half of the lunar month and coincides with the darkest night of the year.

Educational institutions, both government and private, including schools and colleges, will also remain closed on this day. Stock market exchanges will also be closed tomorrow, February 26, on the occasion of Mahashivratri. No trading and settlement will happen in F&O, derivatives, commodities, and others.

Digital banking on February 26

Account holders and registered bank customers can use internet banking, SMS banking, and WhatsApp banking services for financial and non-financial transactions. Online services such as account balance enquiries and statement downloads, chequebook requests, paying bills, mobile top-ups or recharging prepaid phones, fund transfers, booking hotels and tickets for travel, expenditure analysis or spending funds, and more can be carried out as usual.

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Unless the bank advises customers differently (usually for maintenance work), consumers can access digital and net banking services throughout the year, even though bank branches are closed on holiday dates. All bank websites, banking apps, UPI, and ATM services will remain operational year-round.

The RBI categorises bank holidays under three brackets: holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act and Real-Time Gross Settlement Holidays, and the bank closing of accounts.