Central Bank names top 10 banks with poorest customer complaint records

Among the private financial institutions, Anor Bank, AVO Bank, TBC Bank, Davr Bank, and Tenge Bank recorded the worst metrics. The state-owned banks making the list include Business Development Bank, Mikrokreditbank, Asakabank, Turonbank, and Agrobank.

The Central Bank clarified that the newly developed index measures the ratio between a bank's share of total complaints and its share of active clients. For instance, if a bank serves 5% of all banking clients nationwide but accounts for 10% of all submitted complaints, its index score would be 2. A higher index indicates that an institution receives a disproportionately high volume of grievances relative to its market size. The ranking includes all physical complaints received directly by the Central Bank or forwarded through other government agencies, while banks receiving fewer than 100 inquiries over the quarter are excluded from the calculation.

The regulator emphasized that this index does not evaluate the financial health, solvency, or overall stability of the institutions. Instead, a high index serves as a warning that a bank must systematically restructure its client relations. Key areas requiring immediate attention include the clarity of product information, the quality of responses, and the swift resolution of recurring bugs in digital services, payments, and credit operations.

The move marks a broader tightening of consumer protection policies under Central Bank Chairman Timur Ishmetov. Following the transformation of the regulator's traditional call center into a modern contact center, recorded consumer inquiries jumped sixfold, largely because citizens can now connect with operators more reliably.

To reinforce accountability, the Central Bank is set to launch two dedicated social media channels next month to process banking service complaints. The regulator will also mandate a direct interaction mechanism requiring commercial banks to respond to and resolve customer complaints within a strict one-hour window.