No more hidden charges? RBI orders banks to remove misleading app tricks
India Today
The RBI's move aims to ensure customers are not misled into buying products or paying charges without proper awareness. Banks will also be barred from bundling financial products together without clear approval from the customer.
If you have ever noticed hidden charges appearing at checkout, repeated prompts to buy add-on services, or confusing buttons while using your bank’s app, you are not alone. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) now wants banks to clean up such practices and make digital banking more transparent.
In its draft 'Responsible Business Conduct Amendment Directions, 2026', the RBI has directed banks to remove all "dark patterns," i.e., design tricks that mislead or pressure customers, from their websites and mobile apps by July 2026. The draft also proposes stricter rules on how banks market financial products and requires clear customer consent before offering any service.
Dark patterns are design techniques used on digital platforms to influence user behaviour in ways they may not fully understand. These can include hidden fees, confusing options, or repeated prompts pushing customers to accept additional services.
The RBI’s move aims to ensure customers are not misled into buying products or paying charges without proper awareness. Banks will also be barred from bundling financial products together without clear approval from the customer.
The aim is to ensure customers know exactly what they are signing up for and are not misled by unclear information.
The RBI’s move follows a nationwide survey conducted by LocalCircles, which gathered more than 161,000 responses from people across 388 districts. The findings showed that such practices are common across many online banking platforms.
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The move comes as global energy markets remain on edge due to escalating tensions linked to the conflict involving Iran, which has raised fears of disruptions to crude oil shipments from the Middle East.
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Rahul Bhatia expressed gratitude to employees who worked tirelessly to restore operations during that challenging period, praising their resilience and dedication.