**Executive Summary**
RBI guidelines now include directions for banks to provide customer services in regional languages. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have been advised to issue trilingual materials, recruit local officers, and ensure staff meet local language proficiency standards. The goal is to facilitate effective customer engagement.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **RBI Guidelines:**
* Provides comprehensive directions on the usage of regional languages in banks to align service delivery with regional needs.
* Requires banks to have a Board-approved policy for the general management of branches.
* Mandates that all communications to customers should be issued in a trilingual format (Hindi, English, and the concerned regional language).
* **Requirements for Banks:**
* Display indicator boards at all counters.
* Provide customers with booklets detailing available services and facilities.
* Make available printed material (opening forms, pay-in-slips, passbooks, etc.) in Hindi, English, and the concerned regional language.
* Maintain multilingual contact centers and digital channels.
* **Staffing and Recruitment:**
* PSBs are advised to have a policy on the recruitment of Local Bank Officers (LBOs) to ensure effective communication, especially in rural and semi-urban centers.
* Customer Service Associates (CSAs) are now required to pass a Local Language Proficiency Test (LPT) for the official language of the State or Union Territory where they are posted.
**Impact Analysis**
**Banks**
* **Impact:**
* Need to align service delivery and operational policies to accommodate regional language requirements.
* Changes to recruitment process of CSA to ensure compliance to LPT.
* **Action Required:**
* Implement Board-approved policies for branch management and regional language usage.
* Issue communications in trilingual format.
* Recruit LBOs and ensure CSAs pass LPTs.
**Customers**
* **Impact:**
* Improved accessibility to banking services in their regional language.
* Easier communication with bank staff and access to information.
* **Action Required:**
* No action required.
Key Entities Referenced
Reserve Bank of India (RBI): The regulator issuing guidelines to banks on customer services in regional languages.
Public Sector Banks (PSBs): Banks advised to issue trilingual materials and recruit local officers.
Schedule Commercial Banks (SCBs): Banks to which RBI reiterated that all communications to customers should be in trilingual format.
Local Language Proficiency Test (LPT): Test required for Customer Service Associates to ensure proficiency in the local language of the State or Union Territory.
Ministry of Finance: The ministry overseeing the initiative and responding to questions in Rajya Sabha.
Ministry of Finance
RBI guidelines include Directions to Banks to
Provide Customer Services in Regional
Languages
PSBs have been advised to issue trilingual materials, recruit
local officers, and ensure staff meet Local Language
Proficiency for effective customer engagement
प्रव तथ: 02 DEC 2025 5:52PM by PIB Delhi
The guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on customer services in banks, provides
comprehensive directions on usages of regional languages, so that banks could align their service delivery
as per the regional needs. Banks have also been advised to have a Board approved policy for general
management of the branches including, inter alia, display indicator boards at all the counters, provide
customers with booklets consisting of all details of service and facilities available at the bank, make
available all printed material like opening forms, pay-in-slips, passbooks etc. used by retail customers,
availability of customer redressal etc. in Hindi, English and concerned regional language. Further, banks
are having multilingual contact centres and digital channels to provide banking services and offer
assistance in the Regional Languages.
Department of Financial Services has also advised Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to comply to RBI’s
instructions on usage of concerned regional languages with respect to customer service in banks. Further,
RBI in communication to Schedule Commercial Banks (SCBs), has reiterated that all communications to
customers, should invariably be issued in a trilingual format-Hindi, English, and the regional language.
Also, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in its communication to all PSBs has advised that they may
have a policy on recruitment of Local Bank Officers (LBOs) to ensure effective communications with the
local customers in their local language more particularly in Rural and semi-urban centres, and the same is
being actively pursued by PSBs. Moreover, the customer service functions at the front-end in PSBs are
primarily dealt by the Customer Service Associates (CSAs), wherein during the recruitment process, CSAs
are now required to pass a Local Language Proficiency Test (LPT) for the official language of the State or
Union Territory, where the staff shall be posted. This facilitates seamless communication in regional
languages resulting in effective customer services.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary in a
written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
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NB/PK
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