State Bank of India, located in “Gadhage Mohamedfulhu” building in Henveiru-ward of capital Malé City, has reopened after construction.

Currently the bank is providing basic banking services to customers from the second floor of the building, which was damaged in a fire that broke out in Café Tiolo, adjacent to the building, in August 2020. SBI building caught fire on the night of August 28, after a fire that broke out in Café Tiolo spread to the top floors of the building.

SBI revealed that the ground and third floors will be opened up for services starting next week.

The bank will be open every working day, between 9am and 12pm and is currently working to resume all of its services at the Malé branch within the coming days. As such, their ATM services are expected to resume within the ongoing week.

Earlier, SBi revealed that losses incurred due to the Café Tiolo fire amount to MVR 16 million

As such the third floor of the building incurred the most extensive damage. The building houses SBI offices on five floors. SBI stressed that they had “never imagined” the damage would be of such “high intensity”, noting that there was no evidence of fire in the ground floors, which was flooded. The second and third floors incurred the most damage, by 80 percent. The fourth floor was damaged about 25 – 35 percent and the eighth, only about 20 percent where only one cabin was entirely burned.

Despite challenges, SBI had resumed services less than 24 hours since the fire broke out.

SBI, a trusted bank among communities, has been providing immense financial assistance to the Maldives as well, since inception over 40 years ago.