Banks prepare ATMs for extended Idul Fitri break
Banks prepare ATMs for extended Idul Fitri break
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post. Jakarta
With Idul Fitri arriving this week, people are advised to wrap up
all of their banking business by Tuesday before the banks --
along with most other businesses -- close up shop for the long
holiday.
Banks in the country will be closed from Nov. 2 until Nov. 9,
when the central bank reopens its clearinghouse for the banks.
The Idul Fitri holiday, which marks the end of Ramadhan, falls
on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4 this year.
Employees at state institutions and firms will be on leave
from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, and most private sector employees will
receive similar leaves.
Despite the weeklong holiday, banks said they would still
provide such basic banking services as cash withdrawals through
their ATMs.
Other noncash banking services, such as cash transfers and
bill payments, will also be available through ATMs, as well as
through phone banking, Internet banking and mobile banking.
"Customers need not worry. We have at present a total of 2,562
ATMs across the country and all of them are ready to serve
customers' needs for cash withdrawals or cash transfers during
the holiday," Bank Mandiri corporate secretary Ekoputro
Adijayanto told The Jakarta Post.
Ekoputro said Mandiri, the country's largest lender by assets,
had prepared as much as Rp 7 trillion (US$698.60 million) in
additional funds for its ATM network for the long holiday.
"A total of Rp 2 trillion alone has been set aside for
customers in Greater Jakarta.
"That amount of money is enough to meet ATM cash needs for two
weeks before Idul Fitri and a week after," he said.
Similarly, Bank Central Asia (BCA), Indonesia's second largest
lender, has also prepared its network of 3,500 ATMs, the largest
network in the country, for the long holiday.
"We have prepared a total of Rp 6 trillion in cash for our
ATMs, enough for the weeklong holiday," BCA general manager for
consumer banking Stephen Liestyo said.
"We have also prepared a full maintenance team at each branch
office, standing by to ensure that all our ATMs work properly
during that time."
BCA customers can also use their ATM cards as debit cards at
up to 20,000 merchants nationwide.
"Customers can also perform noncash transfers and payments
through our KlikBCA Internet banking service," he said.
Nevertheless, both Eko and Stephen reminded customers to take
care of any banking business that cannot be done through ATMs by
this Tuesday.
And considering that machines -- including ATMs -- have been
known to fail, it is also wise to have some ready cash at hand in
the event of an emergency during the holiday.