Bank transfers will be blocked for 4 days, your salary may be late at Christmas!

During the Christmas period, banks also take holidays. The Target 2 platform, a European payment clearing system managed by the European Central Bank, will close its doors from Thursday December 25 to Sunday December 28 inclusive. Concretely, SEPA transfers between different banks will be blocked for these four days. Salaries, rent, bills or reimbursements will no longer pass between December 24 at 4:30 p.m. and Monday 29 in the morning. And no, that’s not a mistake.

Why are transfers blocked?

This blackout is not a bug, but a fixed scheduleand seasonal: Christmas falling on a Thursday, the long weekend extends the break to four full days. In 2024, a similar closure had already surprised consumers, but the impact remains largely manageable. Especially since it does not concern internal transfers within the same bank, which will remain processed without interruption. To get around the problem, a simple solution exists: instant transfers, available at 90% of French banks and soon to be compulsory, escape the Target 2 system. Available 24/7, they credit the recipient in 10 seconds maximumeven on December 26 at midnight (within the very reasonable limit of €100,000 per operation).

If you want to avoid being caught off guard, arrange to pay your dues before December 24 at 4:30 p.m. Also note that physical branches also close on December 25 and 26, but ATMs will continue to operate.​

Another cut to be expected

The saga does not end at the foot of the tree: Target 2 will also close on Thursday 1^is January 2026, and will block transfers until the 2nd. With this accumulation, it will take six days without interbank flows over a period of fifteen days. Nothing too serious, but you will have to organize yourself accordingly. However, this deadline is destined to disappear. By 2027, the ECB is targeting 99% of instant transfers in Europe. Which means that seasonal cuts are inevitably destined to disappear, we won’t complain about that.