BSP complaints surge 72.6% in 2025
MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) logged a sharp rise in consumer complaints in 2025, as greater public awareness of its complaint channels and the growing use of digital financial platforms pushed more Filipinos to seek help from the regulator.
The central bank received and processed more than 120,000 new complaints through its Consumer Assistance Mechanism (CAM) last year, up 72.6 percent from the 70,112 complaints recorded in 2024, according to its annual report.
Complaint volumes have climbed steadily since 2021, when the BSP logged just 19,181 complaints — meaning the tally has grown more than sixfold in four years.
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The BSP attributed the surge to two main factors: heightened public awareness of its consumer complaint channels, and wider adoption of digital banking and payment platforms. It also cited increased media coverage of two consumer protection laws — the Financial Consumer Protection Act (FCPA) and the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Afasa) — as a contributing factor.
Mediation cases climb
Complaints that cannot be resolved through the BSP’s facilitative process are elevated to mediation. Referrals to mediation rose 48.9 percent to 1,057 in 2025, from 710 the year prior.
In total, the BSP handled 1,188 mediation cases in 2025, which included 131 cases carried over from 2024. Of the 876 cases concluded during the year:
- 409 ended in successful settlements
- 144 failed to reach an agreement
- 323 were terminated for other reasons
A case is considered successful when parties reach a settlement or clarify the dispute enough to voluntarily end proceedings. Failed cases are those where no amicable settlement was reached, while terminated cases cover proceedings discontinued for other reasons — such as a party losing interest or the dispute falling outside what mediation can resolve.
Success rate dips despite more cases
Even as case volume grew, the BSP’s mediation success rate fell to 74 percent in 2025, down from 84.4 percent in 2024. The central bank said the decline may reflect growing consumer awareness of alternative remedies, such as adjudication or filing a case in court, rather than a weakening of the mediation process itself.
For complaints eligible for adjudication, the BSP handled 68 formal cases in 2025, including 12 carried over from 2024. Of these:
- 11 were decided
- 20 were dismissed
- 37 remained pending as of end-December 2025
The rise in complaints and mediation referrals comes amid stronger enforcement momentum around Afasa, which regulators and lawmakers have credited with improving the detection and referral of financial scam-related cases. / Ian Nicolas Cagaral
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