Rs1.65bn Relief Provided To Banking Consumers In 2024: Banking Ombudsman

The Banking Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Pakistan (BMP) has provided relief amounting to Rs1.65 billion to the Banking Customers by disposing of 27,753 complaints against commercial banks during 2024 as compared to financial relief amounting to Rs1.26 billion provided during the year 2023 by resolving 25,493 complaints

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Apr, 2025) The Banking Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Pakistan (BMP) has provided relief amounting to Rs1.65 billion to the Banking Customers by disposing of 27,753 complaints against commercial banks during 2024 as compared to financial relief amounting to Rs1.26 billion provided during the year 2023 by resolving 25,493 complaints.

He stated this in a press conference here on Monday. The Banking Mohtasib Pakistan Sirajuddin Aziz said that the relief of around Rs8 billion had been provided to the customers by the BMP since its inception in 2005.

Sharing the Annual Report of BMP for the year 2024, he said that there was an increase of 6 percent in public complaints lodged with BMP Office against commercial banks during the year 2024 as compared to the year 2023.

He said that complaints received through Prime Minister’s Portal during the year 2024 worked out to 7,193. “Efforts are made to dispose of complaints expeditiously, however, 3,283 complaints received during last 45 days of the year, 2024 have resulted in an overall increase in complaints brought forward for next year (2025)”, he added.

He pointed out that there was a massive surge of complaints during the year 2024 due to increasing use of digital and electronic platform and the growth in Mobile and Digital application has also led to increase in the number of frauds.

During the year major increase was seen in complaints of frauds and cases of Account Blockage by banks on one pretext or the other. The other factor of increase in complaints relates to service inefficiency of banks. Attention of respective stakeholders and the State Bank of Pakistan has been drawn towards these drawbacks, the Banking Mohtasib added.

Mr. Sirajuddin Aziz said that recently created Digital Banks have also been placed under the ambit of Banking Mohtasib Office which requires adoption of additional measures, besides more staff who should be fully equipped with Fintech operations and related technologies.

The Banking Mohtasib added that in compliance with the legal requirements, the Banking Mohtasib’s Annual Report 2024 was presented to the Governor, State Bank of Pakistan on 27th March, 2025.

Aziz said that the efforts of banks to educate public through electronic and print media to protect them from frauds and forgeries have failed to bring effective results. As such these efforts are to be doubled on collective basis and spreading messages to masses, particularly in rural areas of the country, is urgent need of the hour to protect the customers from fraudsters.