Letters of credit (L/Cs) will not be available for four days from First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) as it shuts down for four days later this month.

The shutdown from 1pm on Thursday 29 November to the end of Monday 3 December will give the bank formed by the merger of First Gulf Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi in April last year time to integrate the two banks' IT systems.

Unified brand

The largest lender in the UAE by assets says it has been gradually integrating the legacy banks' processes, policies and governance structures.

An FAB spokesperson says the unification of the banks' legacy IT systems will complete the integration.

Convenient timing

The Abu Dhabi based bank says it chose to carry out the work over a weekend and the UAE's National Day public holiday when most businesses will be closed to ensure minimum disruption to customers.

During the closure all regular account services will be unavailable, including online and mobile banking, international and domestic fund transfers and foreign currency transactions.

This article represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of the ICC or Coastline Solutions.