International Day of Banks
Next: December 4, 2026
Finance that builds a better world.
The story
Where it comes from
On 19 December 2019 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 74/245, naming 4 December the International Day of Banks. It recognises the potential of multilateral and international development banks, owned by many member countries together, to finance sustainable development and share know-how, and the vital role of each country's banking system in raising living standards. The day links banking to the Sustainable Development Goals: long-term finance for infrastructure, energy, farming, innovation and small businesses, especially in developing countries.
How it's celebrated
The UN, governments and banks hold dialogues on financing development and making finance fairer. For everyone else it is a day to think about what banks make possible, from a child's first savings account to the loan that starts a small business, and about the people who still lack access to affordable financial services.
Did you know
- The Asian Development Bank opened in Manila on 19 December 1966 with 31 members and has since grown to 69.
- Its first President, Takeshi Watanabe, saw the bank's role as Asia's 'family doctor'.
- In 2006 the Nobel Peace Prize went jointly to Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, 'for their efforts to create economic and social development from below'.
Coming up next
- Thai Father's Day · December 5, 2026
- International Volunteer Day · December 5, 2026
- World Soil Day · December 5, 2026
- Edison's Phonograph Talks Back · December 6, 2026
- Finnish Independence Day · December 6, 2026
- International Civil Aviation Day · December 7, 2026