All Bank Transfers in Europe Blocked for 4 Days

For four days, from March 29 to April 1, all European banks, including Italian banks, blocked wire transfers. The blocking of regular transfers was reported by the banks themselves. The embargo has engulfed the entire eurozone. As already explained, this is the so-called “normal administration” or “interbank closure” that occurs every year. It won’t be the last time this happens in 2024. Interbank closing occurs several times a year during public holidays, such as New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve, as well as in the Easter season.

However, these closings usually last only one day and go virtually unnoticed by most customers. This time, however, wire transfers will be blocked for four days, and money will not begin hitting the accounts until Tuesday, April 2.

In addition to the unusually long period of interbank closing, bank customers this time were also concerned about “technical problems” recorded by BNL-BPN Paribas on March 30. On Saturday, anomalies were detected in the movement of some current accounts of the said bank. Many customers have had to be charged multiple fees and, in some cases, ended up with empty accounts. For example, the report came from a prominent attorney in Catania who sent a certified email to his affiliate: “I am informing you that I have discovered nine (9) unauthorized payments on my account, each for 140 euros, labeled as ‘utility charges.’ It is unclear at this point what the technical IT problem was, but the media is not ruling out a hacker attack. As BNL-BNP Paribas itself stated on social media on the afternoon of March 30, “this situation, related to the anomaly that led to multiple current account debits, has been resolved. Customer service is again regularly available,” BNL writes.