Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting

Registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan on May 26, 2025, No. 1344. Approved by the Resolution of the Board of the National Bank of Tajikistan on April 30, 2025, No. 62.

Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting by Financial Service Providers

The Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting by Financial Service Providers (hereinafter referred to as "these Requirements") are prepared in accordance with lines 59 and 60 of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Inclusion of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022-2026, approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan dated June 1, 2022, No. 314. The purpose is to create appropriate conditions for protecting the rights of consumers of financial services, improving the efficiency of the mechanism for considering consumer complaints, and increasing public trust in the activities of financial service providers. These Requirements establish minimum requirements for the consideration of consumer complaints (hereinafter referred to as "complaints") by financial service providers and requirements for the reporting of complaints by financial service providers.

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Financial service providers must provide in their internal documents the procedure for considering consumer complaints (hereinafter referred to as "consumers"), taking into account the minimum requirements established by these Requirements.

2. The following basic concepts are used in these Requirements:

• Financial service providers – credit financial organizations and insurance organizations;
• Complaint – expression of dissatisfaction regarding the actions (inaction) of the heads and authorized persons of financial service providers for the purpose of protecting and restoring violated rights and legitimate interests of the consumer themselves or other persons;
• Complaint Registration and Accounting Book – a system for registering and accounting for consumer complaints (an electronic system or program designed for collecting, processing, and storing data on consumer complaints);
• Complaint Box – a standard sealed box with a lock for complaints and appeals, installed on the premises of financial service providers;
• Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department – a department of financial service providers responsible for receiving, registering, and considering consumer complaints and contacting them.

3. Information about the existence of a complaint consideration procedure by financial service providers must be posted in a public place on an information board. The information board must also display an announcement about the procedure for submitting complaints according to Appendix 1 to these Requirements. Additionally, the electronic procedure for considering complaints must be posted on the website of financial service providers. Upon the consumer's request, financial service providers are obliged to explain the established procedure for considering complaints to them. The complaint box must be placed in a visible place and be accessible to consumers.

4. To ensure the timely consideration and response to consumer appeals, financial service providers must have a Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department in their structure.

5. Consumer complaints are accepted in written form in person through the complaint box, by mail, by email, and through other communication means, including telephone.

6. Financial service providers are obliged to:

• organize the work of the Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department;
• post necessary information about the complaint consideration procedure on the information board;
• create a special corner about the complaint consideration procedure in a separate section of the internet website;
• control the timely consideration of received complaints by the Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department and inform applicants about the results of complaint consideration;
• explain to the applicant the procedure for submitting a complaint regarding the results of its consideration (response to the complaint);
• submit a report on consumer complaints to the National Bank of Tajikistan;
• ensure compliance with and fulfillment of the requirements of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Appeals of Physical and Legal Persons," other relevant normative legal acts, and these Requirements.

7. The consideration of complaints by physical and legal persons is carried out free of charge.

2. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONSIDERATION OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS

8. When considering consumer complaints, financial service providers must observe not only the general principles provided by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan but also the following principles:

• uniform requirements for complaints;
• transparency of activities in the consideration of complaints;
• respect and protection of the rights and legitimate interests of consumers, and a partnership approach to them;
• mandatory consideration of complaints and timely provision of the results of their consideration;
• ensuring the security and confidentiality of information constituting banking or insurance secrecy.

3. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF COMPLAINTS

9. Consumer complaints received by financial service providers must be addressed to the Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department.

10. The Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department, which is entrusted with the consideration of complaints, is obliged to ensure a comprehensive and objective consideration of complaints in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Appeals of Physical and Legal Persons" and these Requirements.

11. When considering consumer complaints, the Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department performs the following actions:

• ensures objective, impartial, and timely consideration of complaints, and if necessary, checks the raised issues with the participation of consumers and the invitation of relevant persons;
• requests the necessary materials from relevant bodies, organizations, physical and legal persons, as well as relevant structural subdivisions of financial service providers for the full and comprehensive consideration of complaints;
• takes measures to restore and/or protect the rights and legitimate interests of consumers;
• considers consumer complaints reasonably and in accordance with the law, and controls their execution;
• prepares and provides physical and legal persons with a written response on the essence of the issue reflected in the complaint, providing the formatted response to the applicant;
• prepares a response to the consumer's complaint in the state language, as well as in the language in which the complaint was prepared, for each raised issue, with justification for confirmation or refusal of such cases and taking into account the norms of the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan;
• explains to the consumer orally, including by telephone, the procedure for submitting a complaint regarding the results of complaint consideration (response to complaints);
• in case of an oral resolution of the issue in the presence of the consumer, does not provide a written response unless required by the consumer;
• notifies consumers of the results of complaint consideration by telephone.

12. The response provided by financial service providers to the consumer must contain at least the following information:

• a clear position of the financial service providers regarding the full or partial satisfaction or rejection of the complaint;
• justification for the decision taken by the financial service providers;
• contact information for the department or employee responsible for considering the complaint (phone number, email address);
• information stating that if the consumer is dissatisfied with the response to the complaint, they may appeal to competent authorities or the court in the manner established by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

13. Regarding electronic complaints by consumers, the response may be provided electronically to the email address indicated in the complaint or in written form to the postal address indicated in the complaint, or to the location of the legal entity.

14. For constant and prompt interaction with consumers, financial service providers are obliged to ensure the possibility of submitting complaints in any branch or subdivision of their services. The sample complaint form approved by financial service providers must be placed in a visible place and be accessible to consumers (stands, information boards, etc.).

15. The Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department keeps a Complaint Registration and Accounting Book in accordance with the form specified in Appendix 2 to these Requirements and must ensure the timely consideration of complaints and preparation of responses, as well as contacting applicants.

16. To exclude conflicts of interest, the Complaint Consideration and Dispute Resolution Department cannot simultaneously be responsible for the sale of financial services.

17. In the event of satisfaction of a consumer's complaint, financial service providers must take appropriate measures to eliminate violations, restore the rights and legitimate interests of the consumer, including compensation for damages and payment of insurance indemnities in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.

18. The response prepared on a consumer's complaint must be sent to the consumer by mail via registered mail with notification to the address indicated in the complaint or to their email, or handed over in person in case the consumer appeals to the office of the financial service providers.

4. INTERNAL CONTROL AND MONITORING OF COMPLAINT CONSIDERATION

19. To prevent violations of consumer rights, improve service quality, and organize work with complaints, financial service providers carry out proper control over the compliance with these Requirements and must constantly perform the following actions:

• monitoring, analysis, and generalization of consumer complaints to identify and eliminate causes that served as the basis for complaints;
• preparation of proposals for improving the quality of organization of work on complaint consideration;
• development of necessary measures to eliminate identified violations and prevent such violations in their activities.

20. The responsibility for monitoring and analyzing consumer complaints is placed on the structural subdivision responsible for the internal audit of financial service providers.

21. The Supervisory Board and the executive body of financial service providers must regularly receive reports on the statistics and analysis of complaints.

5. REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING

22. For the purpose of internal control, monitoring, and reporting on complaints, financial service providers maintain an accounting of complaints.

23. Financial service providers are obliged to submit a report on consumer complaints to the National Bank of Tajikistan quarterly (no later than the 15th day of the following month), signed by the head of their executive body, in the form specified in Appendix 3 to these Requirements.

6. RESPONSIBILITY FOR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH REQUIREMENTS

24. In the event of non-compliance by financial service providers with the provisions of these Requirements, the National Bank of Tajikistan has the right to apply urgent corrective measures and enforcement measures to credit financial organizations in accordance with Article 48 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On the National Bank of Tajikistan" and to insurance organizations in accordance with Article 341 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan "On Insurance Activity."

Appendix 1 to the Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting by Financial Service Providers

(SAMPLE ANNOUNCEMENT)

Dear Consumers!

In the event of complaints, you can choose any of the proposed methods for submitting an appeal:

1. Fill out the application form intended for complaints, state your complaint, and hand it over to an employee or place it in the complaint box;
2. Send the application through any postal department to the following address: ________________________;
3. Send the application to the email address: ________________________;
4. Call an employee at the number: _________________________.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Appendix 2 to the Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting by Financial Service Providers

Complaint Registration and Accounting Book for Consumers of Financial Services

Serial Number	Incoming Document Number and Date	Surname, First Name, Patronymic of Physical Person, Phone	Address of Residence	Essence of Complaint	To Whom and Where the Complaint Was Sent	Result of Consideration and Date of Execution	Note on Repeated Complaint

Appendix 3 to the Additional Minimum Requirements for the Consideration of Complaints by Financial Service Providers and Requirements for Complaint Reporting by Financial Service Providers

Report on Complaints of Consumers of Financial Services

Total Number of Appeals	Gender	Method of Complaint Submission	Content of Complaints	Result of Consideration
	Men	Women	Written	Communication Center (Hotline)

Note: The content of complaints entered into the "Other Complaints" column must be indicated at the bottom of the report.