Pakistan’s central bank unveils streamlined customer complaints service for increased financial sector efficiency

An undated file photo shows a general view of the State Bank of Pakistan's building in Karachi. (Photo courtesy: social media)

• The country appoints banking ombudsperson to probe people’s grievances, but it can be tedious and time consuming
• The new digital service launched by the SBP is expected to strengthen consumer trust in the country’s banking industry

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank launched customer complaint service portal and app on Friday, calling it part of its effort to strengthen the banking sector’s efficiency by facilitating people to voice any grievances against it to ensure their timely redressal.
Pakistan has already created the position of Banking Mohtasib – or ombudsperson – whose primary role is to conduct independent and impartial investigations into customer complaints. The issues probed by the official appointed to the position by the government for a duration of four years typically relate maladministration, service delivery, charges, loans and other banking transactions.
While the legal mechanism to deal with customer complaints has remained in place for decades, it can be tedious and time consuming which sometimes deter people with genuine issues to resort to it.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said in an official statement that the new service called “Sunwai” – or hearing – would accept a range of financial complaints.
“‘Sunwai’ serves as a one-window operation for banking customers to register their complaints against Banks, Microfinance Banks (MFBs), and Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) operating in Pakistan,” it informed. “Now, customers can lodge their complaints related to any banking product or service, including Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) through Sunwai for their timely resolution.”
The SBP said the service would be accessible through web browser and mobile application, allowing registered Android and iOS users to lodge complaints at their convenience in English or Urdu languages. It added each complaint would be assigned a unique tracking number that would be communicated to users through email or text message.
“Banks have been advised to ensure prompt and fair resolution of complaints well within turnaround times (TATs) as prescribed by SBP,” the official statement added. “This customer complaint service portal and app are expected to contribute significantly toward strengthening consumer trust in the banking industry.”