Banks in Dhaka, Ctg to remain open Friday

FE Report The central bank has allowed keeping open the branches of commercial banks at different places in Dhaka and Chittagong on November 4 (Friday) to facilitate paying wages of readymade garment (RMG) workers ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha festival. The bank branches, which are located in Dhaka city, Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chittagong, have been allowed to remain open on the day. "We've taken the move in line with the request of the country's trade bodies," a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) told the FE, adding that different trade bodies, including the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), have urged the BB for taking measures to keep open the bank branches on November 4. "The banks are allowed to fix the transaction period according to their own discretion," the BB official noted. The central bank issued a circular in this connection Monday and asked the chief executives of all the scheduled banks for taking necessary measures to keep open the branches on the day. The BB official also said the branches of banks at air, sea and land ports are normally kept open during the two-day weekend to facilitate export and import business.