SBI Issues Major Downtime Alert: UPI, IMPS, YONO & Net Banking to Stay Closed for 15 Minutes Today

India’s largest public-sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), has issued an important alert to millions of customers regarding a scheduled downtime that will temporarily affect key digital services including UPI, IMPS, YONO, YONO Lite, and Internet Banking.
The bank announced that services will remain unavailable for 15 minutes today due to an essential system upgrade.

The short maintenance window, though brief, impacts a massive user base — SBI handles one of the highest digital transaction volumes in India.

Why the Downtime? SBI’s Official Statement

According to the bank, the temporary outage is part of a planned maintenance activity aimed at improving system performance and ensuring smoother digital banking operations during the festive and high-transaction season.

SBI stated that periodic maintenance helps enhance:

• Transaction speed

• Cybersecurity layers

• Server efficiency

• Overall customer experience

This is not unusual, as SBI frequently updates its backend infrastructure to keep up with rapid digital banking growth.

Services That Will Not Work During the 15-Minute Window

Customers have been advised that the following services will remain temporarily unavailable:

• UPI payments (all apps including GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM, etc.)

• IMPS transactions

• YONO App & YONO Lite services

• Internet Banking / Online Account Access

• Balance check options linked to digital channels

ATM withdrawals and card swipes at POS machines will continue to work normally, according to officials.

When Will the Outage Happen?

The bank has informed that the 15-minute downtime will occur sometime today, with the exact time window communicated via in-app alerts and SMS notifications to customers across the country.

Customers planning urgent transfers are advised to keep alternate arrangements ready.

What SBI Advises Customers

SBI has requested customers to:

• Complete urgent UPI or IMPS transactions before the maintenance period

• Avoid initiating large transfers during the downtime

• Use debit/credit cards, ATM services, or visit branches for time-sensitive needs

• Stay updated through official SBI channels for any unexpected extension or changes in schedule

The bank also reassured that all services will resume automatically once the upgrade is completed and that customer funds and data remain secure.

Why This Matters: SBI’s Massive Digital Footprint

SBI serves over 49 crore customers and processes millions of digital transactions every day.
A brief system upgrade on such a scale requires advance alerts to avoid:

• Failed payments

• Duplicate transfers

• Transaction delays

• Customer inconvenience during critical hours

Given the reliance on UPI in India — especially for merchants, students, salaried employees, and small enterprises — even a few minutes of downtime can have widespread impact.

Social Media Reactions: From Concern to Memes

As soon as the alert surfaced online, social media erupted with mixed reactions:

• Some users appreciated the advance notice

• Others expressed concern about interruptions during business hours

• A wave of memes followed, humorously predicting how “entire India will stop for 15 minutes”

Despite the chatter, most users acknowledged that such upgrades are essential for maintaining strong digital infrastructure.

The Road Ahead

As India’s digital economy expands, banks like SBI must constantly scale up their backend systems to manage huge transaction loads.
This short 15-minute maintenance window is part of that effort.

SBI has assured customers that post-update, they can expect smoother, faster, and more reliable banking services across all platforms.