Bank Strike: Is Your KYC Trapping You at the Branch?

Over half of bank users faced delays accessing their money during strikes. A new survey shows 67% are frustrated by repeated KYC demands. Here is what this means for your accounts and what you can do.

Here's what happened: A survey of over 1.14 lakh banking users across 307 districts found more than 50% experienced delays accessing their money during bank strike periods.. 67% of respondents reported being asked to submit KYC documents repeatedly, despite having previously completed the process with the same or a related bank.. Users flagged branch-dependent services, excessive paperwork, and poor grievance redressal as the top reasons banking disruptions hit them hard financially..

What you should do: Move 3–5 days of living expenses to a UPI-linked payments bank account (like Airtel Payments Bank or India Post Payments Bank) before any announced strike date — these operate independently of branch closures.. Check whether your KYC is registered on the CKYC portal (ckycindia.in) — a valid CKYC number means you can legally demand that your bank pull your records digitally instead of asking for fresh documents.. Set up at least one standing instruction or auto-debit from a digital-first account so your EMIs and utility bills are not dependent on traditional bank branch operations during strike days..

If your bank asks for KYC again and you already have a CKYC number, quote it in writing. Under RBI guidelines, a valid CKYC record is sufficient — you are not legally required to submit physical documents a second time.