The Reserve Bank has released today the draft Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Internal Ombudsman for Regulated Entities) Directions, 2025.

2. The Reserve Bank, vide Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Internal Ombudsman for Regulated Entities) Directions, 2023 dated December 29, 2023, has institutionalized the Internal Ombudsman mechanism in various regulated entities (REs) for independent review of customer complaints that are being rejected. A holistic review of the existing instructions has been undertaken to further strengthen the functioning of the Internal Ombudsman with a view to facilitating faster and meaningful resolution of customer grievances at the level of the REs.

3. The comments on the draft Directions are invited from public/stakeholders till October 28, 2025. The comments/ feedback may be submitted through the link under the ‘Connect 2 Regulate’ Section available on the Reserve Bank’s website or by email or may alternatively be forwarded to:

The Chief General Manager
Consumer Education and Protection Department, Central Office
Reserve Bank of India
1st Floor, Amar Building
Fort, Mumbai - 400 001

(Brij Raj)           
Chief General Manager

Internal Ombudsman mechanism draft open for public comments to strengthen regulated entities' customer grievance resolution. Draft Master Direction updates the Internal Ombudsman framework for regulated entities to strengthen independent review of rejected customer complaints and enable faster, more meaningful grievance resolution at the entity level. The Reserve Bank invites public and stakeholder comments via the Connect 2 Regulate portal, email, or written submission to the Chief General Manager, Consumer Education and Protection Department within the consultation window.