New Delhi, Jan. 14 -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the Internal Ombudsman Directions, 2026, formalising rules for grievance redressal across regulated financial entities. The final directions follow a draft released on October 7, 2025, and incorporate stakeholder feedback.

Key Updates in the 2026 Directions

The 2026 Directions introduce several key updates aimed at strengthening grievance redressal across the financial sector.

The definition of "customer" has been added, clarifying that even complaints not seeking specific relief can be reviewed to improve service delivery.

For the appointment of Internal Ombudsmen (IOs), General Managers of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and cooperative banks are no longer treated as equiv...