India: RBI Ombudsman complaint data

The scheme behind the numbers

The Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 took effect on 12 November 2021. It merged the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006, the Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018 and the Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019 ⁴. RBI describes it as a One Nation One Ombudsman approach, with a Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) in Chandigarh ⁴.

The Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2026 came into force on 1 July 2026 and replaces the 2021 scheme. Complaints received before 1 July 2026, appeals against decisions under the 2021 scheme and execution of its awards stay under the 2021 scheme ³. The 2024-25 figures below were all handled under the 2021 scheme ¹.

Complaints received in 2024-25

Figures use the Indian numbering format of the source, in which 1 lakh is 100,000. So 13,34,244 is 13 lakh and 34,244, or 13 × 100,000 + 34,244 = 1,334,244 ¹.

How complaints ended

The ORBIOs disposed of 2,90,567 complaints in 2024-25, a disposal rate of 93.07% ¹. Of these, 1,80,621 (62.16%) were maintainable and 1,09,946 (37.84%) were not maintainable ¹. A non-maintainable complaint is one the scheme does not allow the Ombudsman to take up. Grounds include a complaint not first raised with the regulated entity, a complaint filed too early or too late, or a grievance already pending or decided in a court, tribunal or other forum ².

The report counts awards separately. The Ombudsman issued 36 awards in 2024-25 ¹.

Who and what the complaints were about

• Banks: 2,41,601 complaints (81.53%) at the ORBIOs. Private sector banks had 37.53% and public sector banks 34.80% ¹.
• NBFCs: 43,864 (14.80%) ¹.
• Non-bank payment system participants: 5,617 (1.90%) ¹.
• Credit information companies: 4,585 (1.55%) ¹.
• By category, loans and advances led with 86,670 complaints (29.25%). Credit cards had 50,811 (up 20.04%), mobile or electronic banking 49,951 (down 12.74%), deposit accounts 49,913 and ATM or debit cards 18,082 ¹.
• The top five categories made up 86.20% of ORBIO complaints ¹.

Appeals

In 2024-25 the Appellate Authority received 104 appeals, 98 from complainants and 6 from regulated entities ¹. It disposed of 53. Of these, 13 were decided in favour of the complainant, 3 in favour of the regulated entity, 15 upheld the Ombudsman's decision and 22 were withdrawn or resolved. At year end 108 appeals were pending ¹.

Under the 2026 scheme a complainant has 30 days from receiving an award to appeal. A regulated entity has 30 days from receiving the complainant's acceptance letter. Each may get up to 30 more days for sufficient reason ².

Rules for filing under RB-IOS 2026

• The complainant must first approach the regulated entity ².
• The Ombudsman can take the complaint if the entity has not replied within 30 days, or a longer RBI, NPCI or card network timeline where one applies, or if the complainant is not satisfied with the reply ².
• The complaint must be filed within 90 days from the date the timeline expires or the date of the last communication from the entity, whichever is later ².
• There is no limit on the amount in dispute. The Ombudsman can award up to Rs 30 lakh for consequential loss and up to Rs 3 lakh for loss of time, expenses, harassment or mental anguish ². At 1 lakh = 100,000, that is Rs 30 × 100,000 = Rs 3,000,000 and Rs 3 × 100,000 = Rs 300,000.
• No fee is charged for filing or resolving a complaint ².
• Complaints go online through cms.rbi.org.in, by email to crpc@rbi.org.in, or by post to the CRPC in Chandigarh ².