The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) recently held a major meeting with the top compliance and customer complaint officers from all insurance companies. The meeting took place on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
The main goal of the discussion was simple: make policyholder protection stronger, improve how customer complaints are handled, and fix operational problems across the insurance sector.
The Chairman’s Strong Message
The Chairman of IRDAI told the officers that trust is the core of insurance. He stressed that the compliance and grievance teams are essential for maintaining that trust. He called the officers the "conscience and credibility" of their companies.
The meeting involved a detailed review of how companies follow the rules and how effective their current complaint systems are. Insurance Ombudsmen from Bhopal and Thane also shared real-world problems they see when handling customer cases.
Immediate Concerns and Action Points
IRDAI expressed serious concern over the rising number of customer complaints across the industry. They emphasized that companies must significantly improve the quality and speed of resolving these issues.
Insurers were given clear instructions:
- Standardize Complaints: Develop a simple, clear system to classify customer calls into true complaints or simple service requests.
- Be Proactive: Adopt a customer-focused approach and strengthen internal systems to make sure all issues are resolved within the required timelines.
Highlighting the need for a proper alignment in the functionality of these organisations, stating:
"Compliance can't be a department; it can be a mindset & the grievance correction cannot be the end process. It should be a warning system for us. Whenever an emergency arises, always choose the customer; this will build trust and build relationships, growth will follow industry will be bigger than ever". Chairman concluded