Home › Circulars › RBI/2008-09/362

RTGS Saturday timings extended; RBI nudges banks to boost usage

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet

Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/362 · issued 28 Jan 2009 · ~2 min read

Quick answerRBI extended RTGS customer transaction cut-off on Saturdays to 12:30 PM and interbank to 2:30 PM, effective January 10, 2009. Banks are urged to expand branch coverage, educate customers, and incentivise RTGS usage to match the system's reach of over 53,000 branches.

What changed

The RTGS Standing Committee extended Saturday timings: customer transactions now close at 12:30 PM (previously 12:00 noon) and interbank transactions at 2:30 PM (previously 2:00 PM). Weekday timings remain unchanged: customer transactions 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, interbank 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

What it means for you

Banks get an extra 30 minutes on Saturdays to process customer and interbank RTGS payments, which can improve settlement efficiency and customer convenience. However, RBI flagged that despite RTGS being available at over 53,000 branches, usage hasn't kept pace, signalling a need for banks to actively promote and enable the system across their networks.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Align your branch customer windows with the new RTGS business hours, including the extended Saturday timings.
Launch customer education and advertising campaigns to popularise RTGS as a payment option.
Identify high-potential branches that are not using RTGS and make them RTGS-enabled.
Incentivise branches to increase RTGS transaction volumes and ensure full network coverage.
Expedite RTGS facility rollout for customers of RRBs sponsored by your bank.

Who it affects

All banks participating in RTGS, Bank branch managers and operations teams, Customers using RTGS for fund transfers, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) sponsored by member banks

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Stated effective date effective January 10, 2009
Decoded by BankPulse 2026-06-19 11:04 IST
Status change: withdrawn 05 Aug 2026, 04:00 IST

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What are the new RTGS cut-off timings on Saturdays?

Customer transactions: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Interbank transactions: 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM. These timings took effect from January 10, 2009.

Why did RBI issue this circular despite extending timings?

RBI observed that RTGS usage had not grown proportionately with its expanded branch network of over 53,000 branches. The circular aims to push banks to actively promote, enable, and incentivise RTGS usage.

What actions does RBI expect from banks?

Banks must extend customer windows to match RBI sessions, educate customers, create user-friendly branch environments, identify non-using branches, incentivise usage, enable the entire branch network, and fast-track RTGS for RRB customers.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI

Notifications - Reserve Bank of India Skip to main content Selected Selected Change Language हिंदी Search the Website Search Home About Us ▼ About Us Organisation & Functions ▶ Organisation Structure Departments Offices Training Establishment ▶ College of Agricultural Banking Reserve Bank Staff College College of Supervisors RBI's Functions and Working Governors Deputy Governors Executive Directors Communication Policy of RBI Sources of Information ▶ Annual Publications Half-yearly Publications Quarterly Publications Monthly Publications Weekly Publications Occasional Publications SDDS NSDP Data Releases Publications available on Subscription General Information RBI History Museum ▶ The RBI Museum RBI Monetary Museum Notification ▼ Notifications Master Directions Master Circulars Amendment Directions Draft Notifications/Guidelines ▶ Draft Notifications/Guidelines Draft Directions (RE-wise) Index To RBI Circulars Standalone Circulars Circulars Withdrawn Press Releases Speeches & Media Interactions ▼ Speeches Media Interactions Memorial Lectures Podcasts Publications ▼ Biennial Annual Half-Yearly Quarterly Bi-monthly Monthly Weekly Occasional Reports Working Papers Legal Framework ▼ Act Rules Regulations Schemes Research ▼ External Research Schemes RBI Occasional Papers Working Papers RBI Bulletin History DRG Studies KLEMS State Statistics and Finances Statistics ▼ Data Releases Database on Indian Economy Public Debt Statistics Regulatory Reporting ▼ List of Returns Data Definition Validation rules/ Taxonomy List of RBI Reporting Portals FAQs of RBI Reporting Portals Home Notifications Notifications Withdrawn with effect from November 16, 2021, February 18, 2022, May 02, 2022, May 13, 2022, May 21, 2024, July 12, 2024 & October 01, 2024 ( 593 kb ) Extension of service window for RTGS transactions RBI/2008-09/362 DPSS (CO) RTGS No.1288/04.04.002/2008 - 2009 January 28, 2009 Chairman and Managing Director / Chief Executive Officer of all banks participating in RTGS Dear Sir, Extension of service window for RTGS transactions Please refer to our previous circular DPSS (CO) No. 2118 / 04.04.002 / 2007 - 2008 dated June 25, 2008 on the captioned subject. On a review of RTGS timings, the RTGS Standing Committee has decided to extend RTGS timings for customer’s transactions on Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 12:30 hours and for interbank transactions from 14.00 to 14.30 hours. The new timings have already become effective from January 10, 2009. The new RTGS cut off timings for customer and inter-bank transactions are: Days Customer Transactions Interbank Transactions Monday - Friday 9.00 hours to 16.30 hours 9.00 hours to 18.00 hours Saturday 9.00 hours to 12.30 hours 9.00 hours to 14.30 hours In this connection, we observe that though the RTGS facility has now been extended to more than 53,000 bank branches all over the country, the usage of the system has not increased proportionately. In order to bring the RTGS usage to a desired level, the RTGS member banks are advised to: 1. Extend their customer windows commensurate to RBI business sessions. 2. Popularize the products by educating customers/ advertisements etc. 3. Create a user friendly atmosphere at branch level to increase RTGS usages. 4. Identify such branches having the potential but not using the system. 5. Incentivize the branches for extensive use of RTGS. 6. Make the entire branch network RTGS enabled. 7. Expedite providing RTGS facility to the customers of RRBs sponsored by respective banks. Please acknowledge receipt and forward an action taken report in due course. Yours faithfully, (G. Padmanabhan) Chief General Manager 2026 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2025 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2024 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2023 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2022 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2021 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2020 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2019 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2018 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2017 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December Archives 2016 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2015 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2014 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2013 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2012 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2011 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2010 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2009 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2008 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2007 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2006 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2005 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2004 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2003 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2002 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2001 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 2000 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1999 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1998 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1997 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1996 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1995 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1994 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1993 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1992 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December 1991 All Months January February March April May June July August September October November December Top Back to previous page More Links : Bank Holidays Banking Glossary Citizen's Charter Complaints Contact Us COVID-19 Measures E-LMS Events FAQs Financial Education Forms IFSC/MICR Codes Important Websites Opportunities @ RBI RBI Clarifications RBI Kehta Hai RBI’s Vision and Values (1257 kb)--> Right to Information Act Tenders Follow RBI RSS Twitter YouTube Instagram Facebook LinkedIn &copy; Reserve Bank of India. 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Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2008-09/362 · issued 28 Jan 2009. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.

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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 05 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4798&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.