State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest public sector lender, has issued a cautionary advisory to its customers ahead of the nationwide bank strike scheduled for February 12, 2026, warning that routine banking services may be affected to a limited extent due to the industrial action called by major bank employee unions.
While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not declared an official banking holiday for February 12 under its calendar, the planned strike action — supported by leading unions including the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) — has prompted SBI to alert customers to the possibility of service disruptions at branches and service counters.
According to SBI’s notice, normal operations may be impacted during the strike period, especially for in-person banking transactions. Customers could experience delays or limited availability in services such as cash deposits and withdrawals at branches, cheque clearances, passbook updates and other counter-based functions if a significant number of employees participate in the walkout.
Despite this, many digital and remote banking channels — including mobile banking, internet banking, UPI payments and ATMs — are expected to function largely as usual, helping mitigate inconvenience for routine transactions that do not require physical branch visits.
The strike call by bank unions is part of a larger nationwide labour action opposing recent labour policy changes and seeking improvements in employee work-life balance and other sector-specific demands. Customers are advised to plan urgent banking activities ahead of the strike day and to check with their local SBI branch for service availability updates news as reported
