Exchange houses to observe different timings during Eid

Exchange houses in Qatar will be observing varied operating hours during Eid al-Adha, it is learnt.

Industry officials who spoke to Gulf Times noted that operating hours during Eid al-Adha are flexible, provided that all schedules are approved by the Qatar Central Bank.“For the holidays, we are following Qatar Central Bank regulations. We need to inform the Central Bank and get their approval; as per regulation, we need to update or inform them whether we are closing or will open on certain timings,” Trust Exchange general manager KNS Das explained.Al Mana Exchange senior manager Anand P Jakati said: “The Qatar Central Bank does not prohibit us from functioning but we need to inform them, and we need to follow the normal labour law, whatever is applicable if we work on holidays.”Jakati added that only Al Mana Exchange’s Asian Town branch will be open on Friday from 2pm to 10pm. “On Saturday and Sunday, our three branches will be open from 4pm to 8pm; during these days, our Asian Town branch will operate on regular timings from 8am to 10pm. From September 4, all our branches will observe normal operations,” he pointed out.A call centre representative at Al Dar Exchange said its non-mall branches will be closed on Friday and Saturday, and will resume operations on Sunday from 8am to noon and 4pm to 9pm.On Friday, Al Dar Exchange’s mall branches will be open from 4pm, the call centre agent added.An exchange house official said since different branches will operate on varied schedules during Eid, “it would be helpful to check the website of their preferred exchange house or call customer service to avoid any inconvenience.”