International Day of Banks
A/RES/74/245
A/RES/74/245
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
International Day of Banks is observed on 4 December. The United Nations established the day to recognize the role of multilateral and international development banks, as well as national banking systems, in financing sustainable development and improving living standards.
The observance is about the development role of banking systems rather than a celebration of individual commercial banks or financial products.
Why it matters
Banks influence development through the allocation of capital, financing of infrastructure and businesses, access to financial services and the management of financial risks.
A useful observance therefore considers both the capacity of financial institutions to support long-term development and the need for resilient, inclusive and responsible financial systems.
History
Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Nigeria submitted the draft resolution establishing the International Day of Banks, with a wider group of additional sponsors joining the initiative.
On 19 December 2019, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/245 and designated 4 December as the International Day of Banks.
The reviewed first-party sources establish the annual date and institutional purpose but do not explicitly identify the first observance, so that field remains fail-closed.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Nigeria
The UN Digital Library identifies these four Member States as authors of draft resolution A/74/L.38.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/74/245
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
5 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Learn how development banks differ from retail or commercial banks and what kinds of projects they finance.
Review how financial inclusion, consumer protection and responsible lending can affect whether financial systems improve living standards.
Explore how long-term infrastructure or climate-related projects are financed and how risk is shared among public and private institutions.
Use official development-finance sources rather than treating advertising claims from individual banks as evidence about development impact.
Useful facts
International Day of Banks is observed on 4 December.
The General Assembly adopted A/RES/74/245 on 19 December 2019.
Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Nigeria were the named authors of the establishing draft resolution.
The resolution highlights development banks and national banking systems in relation to sustainable development.
The reviewed sources do not explicitly establish the first observance date.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
UN General Assembly meeting coverage, 19 December 2019 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/74/L.38 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/74/245 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — International Day of Banks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of Banks?
4 December The stored recurrence guidance is: 4 December.
Does International Day of Banks fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is International Day of Banks an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day of Banks?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Nigeria.
Is International Day of Banks international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
When was International Day of Banks established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/245 on 19 December 2019.
Who proposed the Day?
The establishing draft resolution was submitted by Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Nigeria, with additional sponsors later joining it.
Is the Day mainly about commercial banking?
No. The establishing UN framework emphasizes the role of development banks and banking systems in financing sustainable development and improving living standards.
Other observances on December 4
These records also resolve to December 4, 2026 under the current authority data.
Anniversary of the Coronation of H.M. King George Tupou I
Prime Minister’s Office, Kingdom of Tonga
Chanukah (Hanukkah)
Chabad’s 2026 Jewish holiday calendar lists Chanukah from sunset on 4 December through nightfall on 12 December 2026.
Farmers’ Day (Ghana)
Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior lists Farmers Day among statutory public holidays on the first Friday in December, and its current 2026 holiday calendar places Farmers’ Day on Friday, 4 De…
International Cheetah Day
Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures
A/RES/79/293
National Bartender Day
Absolut and TIPS describe National Bartender Day on the first Friday in December; the rule resolves to December 4 in 2026.