Reserve Bank of India – Third Annual Internal Ombudsman Conference – Press Release 2026-2027/659 – 13 July 2026
Regulatory and policy measures
The RBI convened the third annual conference of Internal Ombudsmen on 13 July 2026 in Mumbai. The event assembled internal ombudsmen from banks, NBFCs, credit information companies and other regulated entities, together with managing directors, chief executive officers, executive directors responsible for customer service, principal nodal officers, RBI Ombudsmen and senior RBI officials.
In the keynote address, Deputy Governor Shri Swaminathan J. urged the ombudsmen to deliver fair and effective resolution of customer complaints, to identify recurring issues, undertake root‑cause analysis and assist in implementing remedial measures. He emphasized that a robust internal ombudsman mechanism should reduce external escalations and called on boards and senior management to empower the mechanism and use its insights to strengthen customer service.
The conference sessions covered recent developments in grievance redress, regulatory expectations and RBI Ombudsman insights, focusing on faster, higher‑quality resolutions and systemic improvements to prevent avoidable escalations. Executive Director Sonali Sen Gupta conducted an open‑house session to exchange views on further enhancing the effectiveness of the internal ombudsman framework.
The RBI highlighted the importance of the internal ombudsman as the final independent review level before customers approach the RBI Ombudsman, and reiterated its commitment to strengthening the grievance redress ecosystem across regulated entities.