Short answer: Start a banking complaint with the bank’s Complaint Management Unit. Sunwai lets you lodge and track the complaint through the relevant forum. If a bank does not reply within 45 days, or its outcome is unsatisfactory, an eligible bank complaint can be taken to Banking Mohtasib Pakistan. Microfinance-bank complaints follow a different second-stage route through SBP.
Sources checked: 30 October 2026. This guide uses SBP’s Sunwai launch circular, Sunwai’s official FAQ and SBP’s consumer-protection pages. Complaint routes can depend on the institution and subject, so use the current portal prompts.
What Sunwai does
Sunwai is the State Bank of Pakistan’s customer complaint management service. SBP launched the web portal and mobile app on 29 December 2023 to help customers lodge complaints with banks, development finance institutions and microfinance banks.
The portal does not decide that every complaint belongs to the same authority. It routes the complaint to the relevant first or second forum under the applicable rules and lets a registered user view its status.
You can access the official service at sunwai.sbp.org.pk. Register only on that domain or through the official app links shown there.
Start with the bank or institution
For an ordinary banking matter, the bank’s own Complaint Management Unit is the first forum. Use an official channel and keep evidence of submission.
Your complaint should state:
- the account or product involved, without putting passwords or PINs in the message;
- what happened and when;
- the transaction reference or service-request number;
- what you already asked the bank to do;
- the specific outcome you want;
- copies of relevant statements, receipts or correspondence.
Keep original documents. SBP’s consumer-protection guidance says supporting copies should accompany an escalation; originals should not be sent.
A clear request is easier to investigate than a general expression of frustration. If money is missing, identify the amount, date, channel and reference. If a fee is disputed, name the fee and the rule or account terms you believe apply.
What response timing means
SBP’s consumer-protection page describes complaint-handling targets for institutions. It says an acknowledgement should arrive within 48 hours. A final reply is generally due within seven working days for a minor matter, within 15 days in other cases, and within 30 days for fraud-related cases.
The 45-day period is the legal escalation threshold described in Sunwai’s FAQ for complaints against banks: if the bank does not reply within 45 days, or if you are dissatisfied with its outcome, you may lodge the matter with Banking Mohtasib Pakistan where it has jurisdiction.
Those are different ideas. The bank’s operational response targets do not become 45 days merely because the Mohtasib route uses that threshold.
When Banking Mohtasib Pakistan is the next forum
Banking Mohtasib Pakistan is an independent statutory body for disputes with banks. Its jurisdiction includes complaints about banking laws and regulations, operational failures, delays or fraud in transfers and instruments, unauthorised withdrawals and certain remittance issues.
Before escalating, keep:
- the complaint sent to the bank;
- the bank’s acknowledgement and reference number;
- the bank’s final reply, if received;
- a timeline of follow-ups;
- copies of supporting documents.
Sunwai’s FAQ says you can escalate if the bank fails to respond within 45 days or if the outcome is unsatisfactory. The portal’s questions help direct the case.
Microfinance banks are not covered by the Banking Mohtasib route described by SBP. For those complaints, SBP acts as the second forum. Regulatory, urgent and certain other matters may also go to SBP. Follow the portal’s route rather than selecting an authority because its name sounds stronger.
How to lodge a complaint in Sunwai
- Open the official Sunwai portal.
- Register with the personal details the portal requires.
- Choose the institution and complaint type carefully.
- Enter a factual timeline and the remedy requested.
- Attach readable copies of relevant evidence.
- Submit and save the complaint number.
- Check the portal for status changes and requests for information.
- Respond through the official channel and keep copies.
SBP’s launch circular requires participating financial institutions to update complaint status accurately and on time. A portal status is useful evidence, but keep your own dated copies as well.
Never send a one-time password, card PIN, mobile-banking password or full card security code with a complaint. A legitimate complaint review may need identity and transaction evidence; it does not need credentials that authorise a payment.
Complaints that need a different route
Sunwai’s routing depends on the institution and the issue. SBP says it does not intervene in matters already before a court or law-enforcement agency. Employment disputes inside a bank are also outside the consumer complaint route.
A complaint about a payment wallet may depend on the legal entity behind the app. Confirm whether the provider is a bank, microfinance bank or electronic money institution before choosing a route. Our bank account versus EMI wallet guide explains that licence distinction.
If the problem concerns account closure, first read our bank account closure guide and identify whether the bank missed a documented request, charged a disputed amount or failed to confirm closure.
Write a complaint the reviewer can test
Use short numbered paragraphs:
- Relationship: identify the bank and product.
- Event: state the date, amount and reference.
- First complaint: give the bank’s complaint number and submission date.
- Response: quote the bank’s conclusion briefly or say no reply was received.
- Evidence: list the documents attached.
- Requested remedy: state the correction, refund, record update or written explanation sought.
Avoid claims you cannot support. Separate what you observed from what you infer. If the complaint concerns suspected fraud, report the transaction facts and the steps taken to secure the account.
