Banking business starts slowly after New Year celebration

Activities at the various banks on the Accra High Street on Wednesday started slowly after the New Year break as few customers trooped in to conduct business, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed.

Some of the banks the GNA visited on the High Street are the Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Fidelity Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).

At the GCB branch, noted for brisk business because of its strategic location, the banking hall was virtually empty as there were few staffs serving the handful of customers most of whom were withdrawing money.

Mr Yaw Owusu, a customer, told the GNA that both the Christmas and New Year celebration had drained his pocket hence his decision to visit the bank on the first working day to withdraw some money.

The situation at the Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Fidelity Bank was no different as a few customers were seen conducting business with the tellers having very little to do.

An official at Barclays told the GNA that various banks across the country were experiencing slow start of business as most customers were still in the New Year celebration mood.

He said majority of companies and other business institutions that saved money on daily basis with the banks were still on break.

He, however, expressed the hope that business would return to normalcy from the beginning of next week.