If you’re wondering “why don’t banks transfer money on weekends?” you’ve come to the right place…
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Table of Contents
- Reasons: Why Don’t Banks Transfer Money on Weekends?
- Delays in Sending International Transfers
- Which Transfers Can’t Be Sent on Weekends?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Ready to Explore Your Banking Options?
Reasons: Why Don’t Banks Transfer Money on Weekends?
Most banks do not transfer money on weekends because they batch and process transfers at set times during regular business hours. In most cases, banks transfer money twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon from Monday to Friday. Transfers that are scheduled outside of regular business hours will be processed during the next available batch transfer.
That said, certain transfers are processed much faster, and depending on the bank and country alternative transfer methods for sending money on weekends may be available. Below we share a few examples of faster transfer options.
Fast Transfer Options to Consider
- Transfers between your own accounts
- Crossborder transfers to the same bank
- Digital transfers to banks within the same network
- e-transfers to clients at the same bank
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Delays in Sending International Transfers
If you are sending and receiving international transfers, there are a number of important factors that you should consider to ensure the timely transfer of funds.
Weekends
Please keep in mind that not all countries operate on the same weekly schedule and the specific days that constitute a weekend vary around the world.
Certain countries observe weekends on Friday and Saturday, others on Saturday and Sunday, and some on Friday and Sunday. Alternatively, other countries only include one day per week in their weekend on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Time Zones
Likewise, time zones play an important role in determining when international transfers will be sent and received. This matters both in terms of when transfers are sent (outbound processing by the sending bank) and received (inbound processing by the receiving bank).
Of course, this is important when transferring funds over far distances, such as sending and receiving transfers between New York and Singapore (13-hour time difference).
For example, if you were to send funds before the final batch processing on Friday in New York, it would not be received and processed by the bank in Singapore until Monday morning Singapore time (late Sunday evening New York time).
Holidays
Different countries observe very different public holidays throughout the calendar year. In almost all cases, these “bank holidays” impact bank operating hours, transfer processing, and access to other bank services.
For example, the month of November has five public holidays in Panama, on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, and 28th. These days are in addition to the 8 days that fall on weekends during the month. With this in mind, if you need to send or receive transfers from or to a Panamanian bank, you should make sure it is scheduled on one of the available 17 days.
Which Transfers Can’t Be Sent on Weekends
As mentioned above, there are several fast alternatives that allow account holders to send transfers on weekends. However, there are also specific types of transfers that cannot be sent on weekends, let’s take a look at these now.
- ACH transfers
- SWIFT transfers
- Standing orders
- Direct debits
- Salary payments
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are two additional questions that we regularly receive from people asking why banks don’t send transfers on weekends. If you have further questions you would like answered, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
When Do Banks Process Transactions?
Banks typically process transactions twice per day from Monday to Friday, including once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If you require specific processing times, you can contact your bank directly to confirm when they process inbound and outbound transactions.
Why Haven’t My International Bank Transfers Arrived?
International bank transfers may be delayed in arriving due to differences in time zones. Weekend schedules and differing public holidays can also impact delivery times. Likewise, if transfers were sent after the most recent scheduled time for batch processing, they will be delayed.
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