State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has extended bank branch timings from 9 am to 5.30 pm for commercial and microfinance banks, effective from July 13.
According to the notification, banks will ensure the banking timing from Monday to Thursday with a break between 1.30 pm to 2 pm. On Friday, the branches will take a break from 1 pm to 2.30 pm for prayers and lunch.
The revised bank timings will meet the requirement of the customers with the reopening of businesses across the country.
SBP has allowed banks and microfinance banks to decide to keep the business hours for public dealings intact.
The central bank had lessened the working hours of the branches from 10 pm to 4.30 pm since late March 2020 as a preventive measure for the Covid-19 outbreak.
The central bank also promoted digital banking in order to reduce visits of customers to the branches.
91% bank branches are operative across the country, according to the SBP.
It bears mentioning that services by banks increased significantly in the past few months due to various relief and stimulus schemes introduced by the SBP over that period of time.
Very bad decision by sbp by sbp in this critical situation .all bankers families affected why the government not rejected this timing