Source: The Economic Times
The State Bank of India (SBI) had revealed that certain digital services would not work on September 7, 2023, owing to a maintenance event.
SBI Services Interrupted
According to the bank, this outage occurred between 1:20 am and 2:20 AM IST. The following services were unavailable during this portion of time:
- Internet Banking (Retail and Merchant)
- YONO and YONO Lite
- Corporate Internet Banking (CINB)
- YONO Business (Web and Mobile App)
SBI told customers to do their important online transactions in good time to prevent any possible inconvenience.
Services Available During Downtime
Important banking channels remained available:
UPI Lite: Allowed small, PIN-less payments of up to ₹1,000 per transaction, a daily limit of ₹10,000
Automated Teller Machines: Ability for customers to do cash withdrawals and deposits, generate or change their PIN, view balances, order cheque books, update their mobile number, and even apply for credit cards.
Bank Holiday Updates for September 8
As a side note, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a holiday calendar for September. Most states had banks open on September 8, 2025; however, banks in Maharashtra were closed.
The RBI stated that the Government of Maharashtra has proclaimed September 8, 2025, as a public holiday under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, and the previous public holiday on September 5, 2025, has been canceled.
Why It Mattered
SBI had arranged for one hour of digital banking system downtime during early morning hours on September 8 to minimize inconvenience and to enhance the security function and performance of SBI’s digital banking platforms. But customers in Maharashtra would have to note the shift in the bank holiday on September 8.
What usually happens After Downtime
Customer Disruptions: A significant number of customers who were unaware of SBI’s notice, and there are many, missed their one-hour maintenance windows due to failed logins and interrupted payment transactions.
Delayed Transactions: Critical transfers, bill payments and merchant payment transactions suffered minute delays. This was a disruption for individuals and small businesses.
Business Impact: Traders and businesses that use YONO business and corporate internet banking had a short-term issue settling payments.
Alternative channels: Customers had access to ATMs and UPI Lite transaction modes for cash withdrawals, deposits, and small payments which complemented our services and reduced inconvenience.
Social Media Response: Many customers complained online about the outage even though it was brief and planned.
Smooth Recovery: Services were restored timely, and services returned to normal without any reported incidents.
Bank’s Guarantee: SBI revealed that the required maintenance was designed to improve the security, stability, and performance of digital banking channels.
Recurring Pattern: Customers have basically come to expect these regular downtimes even if only because they create short-term inconvenience and all but force reliance on alternative channels.
