RBI's new Ombudsman Scheme is live — banks can now be made to pay up to ₹30 lakh
The Reserve Bank of India's revamped Integrated Ombudsman Scheme took effect on 1 July 2026, raising compensation limits and cutting the complaint window to 90 days. Here's how to actually use it.
If your bank, NBFC, or payment app has wronged you — an unauthorised transaction, a stuck refund, or a harassing recovery call — the Reserve Bank of India just made it easier to get compensated. The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2026 replaced the older 2021 framework on 1 July 2026.
What’s better for customers
- Higher compensation caps: up to ₹30 lakh for financial loss caused by a deficiency in service (up from ₹20 lakh), plus a separate ₹3 lakh for harassment, mental anguish, or time and expenses lost (up from ₹1 lakh).
- Wider coverage: commercial banks, regional rural banks, cooperative banks, NBFCs, prepaid payment instrument (wallet/PPI) issuers, other payment system operators, and credit information companies like CIBIL are all now under one scheme.
- No cap on the dispute amount itself — only the compensation award is capped.
What’s tighter — the 90-day rule
You must still complain to your bank or NBFC first. Only if it rejects the complaint, doesn’t reply within 30 days, or you’re unhappy with the response can you escalate to the RBI Ombudsman — and now you must do so within 90 days, down from the earlier one year (one year and 30 days if there was no reply at all). Miss that window and the Ombudsman can refuse to hear you.
How to file
- RBI’s Complaint Management System (CMS) portal (cms.rbi.org.in), or by email/post to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre in Chandigarh
- Toll-free helpline 14448, available in multiple Indian languages
- No lawyer needed — you can represent yourself or authorise someone else
Appeals
If you disagree with the Ombudsman’s award, you can appeal to RBI’s Executive Director (Consumer Education & Protection) within the prescribed timeline. Banks and NBFCs can appeal too — except when the award was passed because they failed to furnish documents on time.
Action point: if you have a pending grievance with your bank that’s dragging on, check the date of its final (or non-) response now — the 90-day clock may already be running.
Source: RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme 2026 notification; Business Standard and Business Today reporting, July 2026.
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