Heightened interest in online banking

State and private banks also started operating most of their branches this week, with the Government lifting some lockdown restrictions in curfew-hit Colombo and Gampaha districts.

A senior private bank official told the Sunday Times that they had seen a spike in interest among customers to register for online banking.

“We promoted online banking in the past, too, but many customers still preferred to visit the banks to conduct their transactions. However, we are now seeing a big interest among customers to register for online banking, probably because they feel safer banking online,” she opined.

Many customers are visiting banks to apply for loan concessions announced by the Central Bank in view of the hardships people faced during the COVID-19 lockdown, the official said.

Nevertheless, there have not been any reports of very large queues forming outside banks and most customers are adhering to social distancing guidelines.