What are investor rights?
When you keep money with a financial institution or invest through one, the law and the regulators’ rules give you certain rights. Broadly: to get accurate and clear information, to be treated fairly, to receive your own money, dividends or claim payments on time, to have your data kept private, and to complain and seek a remedy when something goes wrong.
Having a right and enforcing it are not the same. The complaint route usually has two steps: first a written complaint to the institution you have the problem with; if that does not solve it, to that institution’s regulator.
Say a cash dividend declared on shares in Tanvir’s BO account has still not reached his bank account long after it was due. Instead of venting on social media, he first complains in writing to the company and his broker, then, with no solution, files a complaint with his BO number and documents on BSEC’s online complaint system. That way there is a written record of his complaint, which helps later.
Why it matters to an investor
- To catch small problems before they grow: wrong charges, shares sold without permission or a stuck claim are more likely to be fixed if reported quickly.
- To ask the right questions before choosing an institution: whether complaints are easy to make and information is clear is part of understanding an institution.
- To avoid fraud: there may be no regulator to hear a complaint against an unlicensed outfit. Having a complaint route is itself a protection.
- To keep markets healthy: complaints show regulators where rules are being broken, which helps tighten the rules for everyone.
Banks, finance companies and mobile banking
Bangladesh Bank’s Customer Interest Protection Centre (CIPC) takes complaints about banks, finance companies and mobile financial services. Under Bangladesh Bank’s guidance the steps are: first tell the branch or provider’s staff, then make a written complaint to the institution’s complaints cell, and if that still does not resolve it, go to CIPC.
As of October 2026, Bangladesh Bank’s website says complaints can be made to CIPC on hotline 16236 (during office hours), by email, through the online complaints portal or by letter. You give your name and address, details of the complaint, and a copy of the institution’s written reply if you received one. Anonymous complaints and matters already before a court are generally not taken. Numbers and procedures can change, so check the latest on Bangladesh Bank’s website.
The stock market and mutual funds
In September 2019 BSEC launched an online complaints system called the Customer Complaints Address Module (CCAM). You can complain using your BO account, mobile number and email: for example, an unpaid cash dividend, bonus shares not received, unpaid sale proceeds or shares sold without permission. Complaints go automatically to the relevant body: complaints against brokers to the stock exchange, against depository participants to CDBL. Written complaints are also accepted.
According to a July 2026 report, complaints through this system took about 22 days on average to settle in the first half of 2026, and not all were settled. The report also notes that online complaints have to be written in English. So it helps to keep a complaint clear, short and backed by documents.
Insurance
Insurance complaints go first to the insurer. Under IDRA guidance from December 2023, insurers must settle complaints within a maximum of 90 days, and complaints are taken through an integrated grievance system run by IDRA. If the company does not resolve it, the customer can go to IDRA. These rules can also change over time.
- Useful for any complaint: your account or policy number, a dated account of what happened, receipts, statements, copies of letters or emails, and the reference number or copy of your earlier complaint to the institution.
Common mistakes
- Complaining only in person or by phone, with no written record.
- Waiting too long. The longer you wait, the more papers go missing and the weaker the evidence.
- Paying someone who promises a “quick fix”, or sharing an OTP or PIN. No regulator asks for money or a PIN to take a complaint.
- Complaining only on social media without telling the institution, which does not count as a formal complaint.
When something goes wrong, tell the institution in writing first, then go to its regulator, and keep the paperwork from every step.