Bank strike Sept 28-30: Will financial services work? All ATM, digital wallet and UPI FAQs answered
Bank customers across India could face disruption in terms of accessing in-branch services from September 28 to 30, 2026, as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) plans a three-day nationwide strike to press for its key demands, including a five-day banking week and pension reforms.
The proposed strike comes immediately after the weekend holidays on September 26 and 27, which raised concerns of an effective five-day disruption in banking operations. In response, the government has announced Sunday as a working day for all public-sector and rural-sector banks employees in the country.
Will online transactions be affected?
No, online financial services will not be impacted by the bank strike as they work round the clock, whether banks are operational or not.
Individuals can continue to use UPI or their respective bank’s app to make payments and receive money. Digital wallets will also continue to work as usual. These services may be temporarily unavailable only if a bank takes them offline for scheduled maintenance, in which case customers are notified in advance.
Therefore, even if the strike materialises, customers can continue making their scheduled payments without visiting a bank branch.
What about ATMs and deposit machines?
Similar to digital payment services, ATMs and Automated Deposit and Withdrawal Machines (ADWMs) will also remain available for customers who need cash during the bank strike.
ATMs will continue to operate round the clock, subject to cash availability and any scheduled maintenance activity.
Who may face disruptions during the period?
Services that require physical documents and assistance from bank staff could be delayed if branches are affected by the strike, which include cheque clearance, demand draft issuance and locker access.
So, if you think you may need to visit a bank branch to complete a particular task in the upcoming days, it’s best to complete it before the strike happens.
Is this strike confirmed, or could it still be called off?
As of the latest update, the bank unions have confirmed that it is proceeding with the strike after conciliation talks failed to resolve the dispute.
The Finance Ministry has urged employees not to participate, so turnout and the extent of disruption could still vary by bank and region.
What customers should ahead of the strike
Here is what customers should do ahead of the three-day bank strike to ensure that their financial requirements are not affected:
This is not the first time that bank unions under UFBU are going on a strike. They had previously gone on a nationwide strike on September 11, 2026 over the same demands that are mentioned this time.
UFBU, which claims to represent around 90% of all Indian bank employees, held protests and demonstrations across several cities, including Delhi, Bhopal, Chennai, Siliguri, Rajkot and Vijayawada, at that time.
