RBI Guidelines Push Banks to Strengthen Customer Services in Regional Languages
According to the guidelines, banks must adopt a Board-approved policy covering general branch management practices and customer-facing materials.
PSBs told to issue trilingual materials, recruit local officers, and ensure staff meet local language proficiency
New Delhi, December 3: The Reserve Bank of India has issued detailed directions to strengthen the use of regional languages in banking services, asking banks to align customer engagement with linguistic needs across states. The move aims to enhance accessibility, transparency and service quality for millions of customers who rely on regional-language communication.
According to the guidelines, banks must adopt a Board-approved policy covering general branch management practices and customer-facing materials. This includes the display of indicator boards at counters, distribution of booklets explaining available services, and ensuring that key documents such as account opening forms, passbooks, pay-in slips and grievance redressal information are available in Hindi, English and the relevant regional language.
Banks have also expanded multilingual customer touchpoints. Most public-sector and private-sector institutions now operate multilingual contact centres and digital platforms offering regional-language assistance.
The Department of Financial Services has instructed public sector banks to strictly comply with the RBI mandate, particularly regarding trilingual communication. The RBI has reiterated to scheduled commercial banks that all customer communications must be issued in Hindi, English and the applicable regional language.
The Indian Banks’ Association has also advised public sector banks to adopt a clear policy for hiring Local Bank Officers to strengthen communication with customers, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where linguistic familiarity is essential. Frontline customer service roles in public-sector banks—managed primarily by Customer Service Associates—now require candidates to pass a Local Language Proficiency Test for the state or union territory in which they are posted.
The Finance Ministry said the emphasis on regional languages will enable seamless communication, improve customer experience, and make banking services more inclusive across the country.
