Dhaka: Al-Arafah Islami Bank (AIBL) has announced a temporary suspension of all its banking services for nine consecutive days, from January 30 to February 7, 2026. The bank’s decision is part of a major technical upgrade to its “Core Banking System” (CBS) aimed at ensuring more secure and modern digital services for its customers.

According to United News of Bangladesh, the central bank of Bangladesh issued a notification on January 25, granting permission for this scheduled downtime. The suspension will affect various services in phases. From January 30 to February 7, all online banking services, including ATMs and Internet Banking, will remain completely suspended. Between February 1 and February 3, all branches and sub-branches will be closed for cash transactions and physical banking. On February 5, branches will resume limited operations, primarily focusing on cash transactions only. By February 8, all regular and online banking services are expected to fully resume and return to normal operations.

Th
e bank has emphasized that the upgrade is necessary to enhance customer service quality and strengthen transaction security in the digital banking era. Although the total service suspension lasts nine days, the actual impact on branch-based banking is limited to three days due to weekend holidays on January 30-31 and a scheduled holiday for Shab-e-Barat on February 4.

Bangladesh Bank approved this “technical downtime” to support the bank’s long-term objective of offering superior Shariah-based financial services. Customers are advised to plan their urgent transactions ahead of the shutdown.