Banks operating in Egypt are preparing to carry out temporary technical updates to their electronic systems as the country switches to winter time, a move that may temporarily disrupt some digital banking services, automated teller machines (ATMs), instant payment services and prepaid electricity card charging.
The scheduled maintenance is intended to ensure that banking systems and electronic payment platforms remain synchronized with Egypt’s official time following the one-hour clock adjustment.
The National Bank of Egypt (NBE) announced that some of its electronic banking services could experience temporary disruptions from 11:00 pm on Thursday, 29 October, until 1:00 am on Friday, 30 October.
In a notification to customers, the bank explained that the updates were necessary to accommodate the transition to standard time and ensure the smooth operation of its electronic systems.
The NBE also reassured customers that financial transactions would continue to be authenticated automatically through Security Token applications, without requiring additional action.
Customers who manually adjust their device clocks and encounter difficulties completing transactions were advised to contact the bank’s customer service hotline at 19623.
The NBE is not the only financial institution implementing technical updates during the transition. Several other banks have announced scheduled maintenance, with different interruption periods depending on their technical requirements.
The Commercial International Bank (CIB) said some banking services for business customers would be unavailable from 11:00 pm on Thursday until 3:00 am on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Arab African International Bank (AAIB) scheduled its system updates from 11:45 pm on Thursday until 12:15 am on Friday.
Banque du Caire also announced that its operational system updates would begin at 11:30 pm on Thursday and continue until 1:00 am on Friday.
The bank warned that several services could be temporarily affected, including electronic banking services, automated teller machines (ATMs), the Instant Payment Network (IPN) and its mobile wallet.
These measures form part of the technical procedures regularly undertaken by financial institutions to synchronize their systems with official time changes and maintain the reliability of digital banking operations.
Electricity Card Charging Services to Be Suspended for 90 Minutes
Separately, the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company announced a temporary suspension of prepaid electricity meter card charging services for 90 minutes.
The interruption is scheduled to begin at 11:30 pm on Thursday, 29 October, and continue until 1:00 am on Friday, 30 October.
The company said the suspension would allow technical updates to be carried out on the electronic systems supporting the charging service, ensuring compatibility with the new official time.
It urged customers who use prepaid electricity meters to charge their cards in advance to avoid inconvenience during the maintenance period.
The temporary suspension is particularly relevant for households that rely on prepaid electricity meters and need to maintain sufficient balances to ensure uninterrupted access to electricity.
Egypt Moves to Winter Time, Turning Clocks Back One Hour
The scheduled technical updates coincide with Egypt’s transition to winter time at midnight on the last Thursday of October.
Under the countBanks operating in Egypt are preparing to carry out temporary technical updates to their electronic systemsry’s daylight saving time system, clocks are turned back by 60 minutes, moving from midnight to 11:00 pm and changing the official time from GMT+3 to GMT+2.
The time adjustment requires banks, payment networks and essential service providers to update their electronic systems to ensure accurate transaction timestamps and uninterrupted coordination between digital platforms.
The affected services are expected to resume normal operations once the scheduled maintenance periods are completed, although restoration times may vary between institutions depending on their technical procedures.
The measures also highlight the growing importance of digital infrastructure in Egypt’s banking and essential services sectors, as individuals and businesses increasingly rely on electronic payments, mobile wallets, instant transfers and online banking.
Maintaining the stability and synchronization of these systems remains essential to ensuring the continuity, security and efficiency of financial transactions and everyday services.
