Reserve Bank of India (Local Area Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Second Amendment Directions, 2026
RBI notification RBI/2026-27/118 · 15 Jun 2026
RBI notification RBI/2026-27/118 · 15 Jun 2026
Summary
Check the official recordThe Reserve Bank of India amends the 2025 Directions to regulate advertising, marketing, and sales of financial products by Local Area Banks (LABs). LABs must implement a comprehensive policy covering product suitability, feedback mechanisms, and customer compensation for mis-selling. The rules prohibit deceptive design patterns known as dark patterns and mandate explicit customer consent for all product sales. LABs must maintain a public list of Direct Selling Agents (DSAs) and ensure their employees and agents follow a strict Code of Conduct. The regulations restrict promotional communications, require transparent disclosure of product terms, and prohibit compulsory bundling of third-party products. These measures aim to protect consumer autonomy and ensure fair trade practices across all digital and physical banking channels.
What you must do
Key dates
Who is affected
Exceptions
If you do not comply
RBI/2026-27/118 DOR.MCS.REC.No.97/01-01-035/2026-27 June 15, 2026
Reserve Bank of India (Local Area Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Second Amendment Directions, 2026
It has been decided to issue comprehensive instructions on advertising, marketing and sales of financial products / services to all Local Area Banks (hereinafter referred to collectively as “LABs” and individually as an “LAB”) under the Reserve Bank of India (Local Area Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Directions, 2025.
In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the Reserve Bank, being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in public interest so to do, hereby issues the Amendment Directions hereinafter specified.
Short Title and Commencement
(1) These Directions shall be called the Reserve Bank of India (Local Area Banks - Responsible Business Conduct) Second Amendment Directions, 2026.
(2) These Directions shall come into effect from January 1, 2027.
(1) In paragraph 4, the following definition shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(6), namely:
“4(6A) Compulsory bundling means the practice by an LAB of making availment of one product / service by a customer conditional upon availment of another product / service, whether own or third-party, offered by the LAB.”
(2) In paragraph 4, the following definition shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(10), namely:
“4(10.1A) Dark pattern means any practices or deceptive design pattern using user interface or user experience interactions on any platform that is designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do, by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision making or choice, amounting to misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights.”
(3) In paragraph 4, the following definitions shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(10A), namely:
4(10B) Direct Selling Agent (DSA) / Direct Marketing Agent (DMA) means an entity or individual (other than an LAB’s own employee) engaged by an LAB, irrespective of the contractual designation / nomenclature used for such engagement (such as Business Correspondent (BC), Loan Service Provider (LSP), etc.), to sell or market / promote / influence customers for purchase of its own or third-party product / service.
4(10C) DSA / DMA sub-agent means an individual, engaged by a DSA / DMA, who is involved in selling / marketing related activities, on behalf of an LAB, at the point of customer interface.
Explanation: Wherever an individual is directly engaged by an LAB under an outsourcing arrangement for selling / marketing related activities, instructions applicable to DSA / DMA as well as DSA / DMA sub-agent shall apply to such an individual.”
(4) In paragraph 4, the following definition shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(13), namely:
“4(13A) Explicit consent means a specific, informed and unambiguous indication of an individual’s choice, given through a duly recorded / documented statement or clear affirmative action, which indicates agreement to a specific action by or arrangement with an LAB.”
(5) In paragraph 4, the following definition shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(20), namely:
“4(20A) Mis-selling means sale of a financial product / service, whether own or third party, in the following cases:
(i) Sale of a product / service, which is neither suitable nor appropriate in view of the customer’s profile evaluated at the time of sale, notwithstanding her / his explicit consent; or
(ii) Sale of a product/ service without providing correct or complete information or by giving misleading information; or
(iii) Sale of a product / service without customer’s explicit consent; or
(iv) Compulsory bundling of another product / service with sale of the requested product / service; or
(v) Sale of a product / service involving any other element defined by the financial sector regulator concerned as mis-selling.”
(6) In paragraph 4, the following definition shall be inserted after sub-paragraph 4(26), namely:
“4(26A) Third-party Product or Service (TPPS) means a product or service offered by an LAB to its customers on behalf of a third-party product / service provider (TPPS Provider) after entering into an agency business or referral services arrangement with the TPPS Provider.”
(7) In Chapter IV on ‘Customer Guidance and Protection’, the following section and paragraphs shall be inserted after paragraph 17, namely:
“C. Advertising, Marketing and Sale of Financial Products / Services by LABs
C.1 Policy
17A. An LAB shall put in place a comprehensive policy for advertising, marketing and sale of its own as well as third-party financial products / services, which shall, amongst others, cover aspects related to criteria for determination of suitability and appropriateness of products / services offered to customers, feedback mechanism, customer compensation in cases of mis-selling, etc.
17B. An LAB, availing the services of DSAs / DMAs, shall also include in its policy, aspects related to their eligibility criteria, due diligence at the pre and post-engagement level, training of DSA / DMA sub-agents, functions / activities that may be assigned, performance evaluation standards, inspection / audit, control mechanisms to ensure compliance with statutory requirements along with procedures to be followed and penal actions to be taken in case of non-compliant DSAs / DMAs.
C.2 Engagement of DSAs / DMAs
17C. An LAB, availing the services of DSAs / DMAs for sale / marketing of its own or third-party financial products / services, shall maintain and display an up-to-date list of DSAs / DMAs empanelled / engaged with it on its website for reference by the members of public. Such list shall include the name and other details of the DSAs / DMAs such as type (corporate / individual), address, the period of engagement, and products / services they deal with. The LAB shall update the list within seven calendar days of any modification to the list.
17D. An LAB shall ensure that its employees or DSA / DMA sub-agents engaged in the sale of own or third-party financial products / services possess the requisite qualification / certification, if any, prescribed by the respective financial sector regulators.
17E. For the benefit of the customers, any DSA / DMA sub-agent or representative of a TPPS Provider, who is present within the LAB’s premises for sale / marketing of the LAB’s own or third-party financial product / service, shall be distinguishable from the employees of the LAB, including clear ‘on person’ identification.
17F. An LAB, based on the instructions mentioned in these Directions, shall put in place a Code of Conduct for marketing and sale and marketing of financial products / services, which shall be applicable to the LAB’s own employees, DSAs / DMAs and their sub-agents as well as representatives of any TPPS Provider deployed for the purpose in the LAB’s premises. Prior to assigning any sale / marketing related activities on its behalf, the LAB shall obtain an undertaking from DSAs / DMAs that they and their sub-agents agree to abide by the Code of Conduct. The LAB shall obtain a similar undertaking from its own employees and representatives of TPPS Provider to whom the Code of Conduct is applicable. The agreement entered between the LAB and any DSA / DMA shall cover the penal / disciplinary action to be taken in case the DSA / DMA and / or its sub-agents are found to be in violation of the LAB’s Code of Conduct. The LAB shall display the Code of Conduct on its website for reference by public.
C.3 Consent aspects
17G. An LAB shall ensure that products / services, whether own or third-party, are offered / sold to a customer only with her / his explicit consent, which may be obtained either through a signed declaration (either physically or electronically), OTP based approval, digitally recorded confirmation, consent embedded in a clearly demarcated section of the agreement for the product / service, etc. Further, while obtaining consent from a customer for more than one product / service on a single form, each product / service shall be clearly enumerated and the customer shall have the option to choose only the desired product(s) / service(s). The LAB shall store or preserve consent and related records of a product / service sold by it till one year from the date of cessation of the contractual agreement with respect to the product / service.