No Mahavir Jayanti holiday for banks: RBI asks agency banks to remain open on March 31 for FY26 closing

All agency banks will remain open for public transactions on March 31, 2026 (Tuesday), even though it is a notified public holiday in several states and Union Territories on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the government has requested that all bank branches handling government business stay open on March 31 to facilitate year-end transactions for FY2025-26.

“The Government of India has made a request to keep all branches of the banks dealing with Government receipts and payments open for transactions on March 31, 2026 (Tuesday-Public Holiday) so as to account for all the Government transactions relating to receipts and payments in the Financial Year 2025-26 itself,” the central bank said.

“Accordingly, agency banks are advised to keep all their branches dealing with government business open on March 31, 2026 (Tuesday),” it added.

The central bank also directed lenders to give due publicity about the availability of banking services on that day.

As per the RBI holiday matrix, banks were earlier scheduled to remain closed in several states and Union Territories on account of Mahavir Jayanti, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and New Delhi.

Agency banks act on behalf of the government to collect revenues and make payments, including taxes, pension disbursements and other official transactions.

Stock market closed on March 31

The stock market will be closed on March 31 for Mahavir Jayanti.

According to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), March will see 12 trading holidays, including 4 Saturdays and five Sundays.

Apart from Mahavir Jayanti, the stock market will remain closed on the occasion of Holi and Ram Navami.