WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao Giro Bank opened its doors again this Friday morning. Tuesday morning (local time) there was a run on the bank and all branches and bank accounts were closed. This led to panic among customers. Some had to be removed by the police.

Great crowds are lining up at the bank today. Police are present at the branches to monitor security. The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten has set a withdrawal maximum of 10,000 guilders (approximately 5500 dollars) per account holder.

The Girobank has been subject to an emergency scheme since 2013 due to financial mismanagement. The Central Bank has indicated this week that the Girobank name will eventually disappear and the services will be taken over by other banks.