Pay Before Thursday: Bank of Uganda Closure to Disrupt Interbank Transfers

If you need to pay rent, clear a supplier’s bill or send money to another bank this week, check your payment method now. A planned Bank of Uganda system upgrade will halt transfers that depend on two key payment services.

The central bank will suspend its Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and Automated Clearing House (ACH) services from 5pm on Thursday, November 5, 2026, until 9am on Monday, November 9, 2026.

But customers will still have access to mobile money, ATMs, bank counter services and transfers between accounts within the same bank, according to the bank’s guidance.

The distinction matters if you have a payment deadline during the closure. Your bank may remain open, but it will not process a transfer through either of the suspended systems.

RTGS allows banks to complete individual transfers between them in real time. Banks commonly use it for large or urgent payments. ACH processes payments between banks in groups, rather than one at a time.

Customers should ask their banks whether a planned payment uses either service. This could help anyone expecting money from another bank or preparing to settle an urgent bill.

In its notice dated November 3, 2026, the central bank urged individuals, businesses and government bodies to arrange time-sensitive payments before the shutdown.

Customers should also confirm their banks’ payment deadlines. The central bank’s 5pm closure time does not establish the latest time each bank will accept and complete a customer’s transfer.

For someone expecting money to cover rent or another bill, the key question is whether the sending bank can complete the transfer before services stop.

Anyone who submits a payment before the closure should also check its status. Submitting an instruction does not necessarily mean the money has reached the receiving bank.

The central bank has yet to confirm how participating banks will handle payments that remain incomplete when the shutdown begins. It says it will communicate those arrangements once it finalises them. Customers should seek guidance from their own banks about individual transfers.

Other payment options may offer a way to meet a deadline. However, customers should confirm availability with their providers rather than assume every alternative will work.

Bank of Uganda says the upgrade will improve the speed, reliability and security of Uganda’s payment systems. It also aims to help different payment systems work together and support transfers across the East African Community.

The work forms part of a regional plan to make payments between member countries easier, safer and more efficient.

The bank plans to restore RTGS and ACH services at 9am on November 9, 2026. It will issue a public notice after its technical teams confirm that the services work. If the upgrade takes longer, it will communicate a revised restoration time through its official channels.