RBI Deputy Governor Urges Banks to Improve Complaint Resolution

Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Swaminathan Janakiraman urged internal ombudsmen of banks, non-banking financial companies, and credit information companies to provide fair, meaningful, and effective resolutions to customer complaints. Speaking at the third annual conference of Internal Ombudsmen in Mumbai on July 13, 2026, he called on boards and senior management to empower the internal ombudsman mechanism to reduce the number of grievances escalating to external forums.

Janakiraman instructed ombudsmen to identify recurring issues through root cause analysis to implement systemic remedial measures and strengthen overall customer service. The conference gathered internal ombudsmen alongside CEOs, Managing Directors, and senior officials from the central bank to improve grievance redressal within regulated financial entities.

The event featured an open-house session led by Reserve Bank of India Executive Director Sonali Sen Gupta. The session focused on enhancing the internal ombudsman framework, which serves as the final independent internal review level before customers seek assistance from the RBI Ombudsman.