The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) — the umbrella body of India’s banking sector unions — has called a three-day strike on 28–30 September 2026. According to the banks’ own statements, ATMs, UPI, internet and mobile banking are expected to remain available; the slowdown will fall primarily on branch-based operations. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved an additional working day on Sunday 27 September for public-sector banks (PSU) and regional rural banks (RRB); State Bank of India (SBI) has confirmed its branches will open that Sunday. Below — what has been announced, what it means for UAE–India remittances, and what to close out before the strike begins. Summary — Gulf News (Banking, gulfnews.com).
What has been announced
UFBU has called a three-day strike from Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 September 2026. The stated demands include a five-day banking week and other employee-related issues in India’s banking sector. The Government and bank managements have appealed to the unions to defer the action; as of 26 September 2026 the strike remains scheduled. The main effect, per the banks themselves, will be on branch-based operations: manual clearing, handling of exception payments, paper-document work and in-person customer service.
What is expected to keep running
Per statements from banks and practical guidance from SBI (India’s largest bank), the following electronic channels are expected to remain available during the strike:
- ATMs and Automated Deposit-cum-Withdrawal Machines — cash withdrawals and deposits;
- UPI — instant interbank payments via QR/mobile number;
- Internet banking and mobile banking apps (SBI’s is YONO);
- NEFT/RTGS/IMPS — subject to each bank’s service availability.
Several public-sector banks have additionally waived ATM withdrawal charges at other banks’ machines on 28–30 September. Indian Bank, for example, has allowed free withdrawals at other-bank ATMs from 26 to 30 September. Full terms are on each bank’s website and app.
Who is participating and who is not
The strike covers Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRB) — the constituents of UFBU. Private-sector banks in India — HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak Mahindra and others — are not part of the UFBU strike, and their weekday branch operations on 28–30 September are expected to run normally. Their Sunday 27 September schedule may differ: do not assume a private branch is open on Sunday — check the bank’s website, app or customer support before travelling to the branch.
How this affects UAE-to-India transfers
The UAE→India corridor is among the largest global remittance flows and does not stop on 28–30 September. Two practical points to be aware of.
On the sending side in the UAE. Nothing changes in the UAE: banks, exchange houses (UAE Exchange, LuLu Exchange, Al Ansari), cards and payment services continue to operate normally. For UAE’s domestic cashless infrastructure context, see our explainer on Jaywan — the UAE national payment card.
On the receiving side in India. Transfers that require manual processing at the receiving bank — large sums under mandatory compliance checks, re-keying of details, manual corrections — may slow down as some branch staff will not be at work. Automated NEFT/RTGS/IMPS/UPI transactions are expected to continue per banks’ statements, but actual credit depends on the specific bank’s service availability.
The Sunday banking day on 27 September
RBI has approved operations at branches, offices, ATM-linked branches and currency chests of public-sector banks and regional rural banks on Sunday 27 September 2026 — an additional working day before the strike begins. State Bank of India has confirmed its branches will remain accessible on that Sunday. This is an opportunity to close out branch-only matters (notarised documents, bank certificates, resolving held transactions, opening accounts and deposits) ahead of the strike, rather than pushing them to 1 October.
Note: private-sector banks handle Sundays differently — verify your bank’s schedule separately. Public-sector customers should check individual branch advisories before travelling.
What to do now — UAE resident checklist
- Urgent transfers — process and send them by the end of 27 September 2026. If your recipient needs branch staff (delay resolution, KYC refresh, compliance-threshold authorisation), advise them to close it out on Sunday 27 September at a PSU/RRB branch.
- Recurring payments — mortgage EMIs, insurance premiums, rent, utilities — process them early where possible, or notify the provider of a possible 1–2 day delay. Auto-debits via UPI/NACH should trigger normally, but individual-bank incidents may require a retry.
- Payroll for India-based staff (UAE employers) — build the payroll run so it credits by 27 September. Warn the team about possible credit delays on 28–30 September and ask them not to schedule critical spend on those three days.
- Cash for family in India — use the temporary ATM-fee waivers at other-bank machines announced by several public-sector banks (e.g. Indian Bank). Full list and terms are on the banks’ own websites.
- Documents — do not push branch-only submissions (bank certificates for UAE, apostille, statements for visa processes) into 28–30 September. For working with Indian service providers from the UAE, factor in not just the UAE calendar but local constraints too — we covered this in the broader UAE economy outlook 2026.
What next
The strike is scheduled for 28–30 September. The Indian government and bank managements are negotiating with UFBU — a cancellation or curtailment is possible, but as of 26 September 2026 the action remains scheduled. From 1 October branch operations are expected to return to normal per the parties’ statements; the accumulated backlog will be worked through in the usual queue. Track status via official channels: the RBI website (rbi.org.in), UFBU press releases and your Indian bank’s own advisories.
This material is for information only and does not constitute investment, tax or legal advice. Transfer terms and bank working hours vary by provider and can change rapidly. For urgent payments, verify the details on your specific bank or exchange house’s website and customer support; for UAE business payment infrastructure questions, contact the Garant team.
