CBA complaint index for March 2026: Unexpected changes in the list and a cautious 'signal' from the regulator

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan has published the monthly complaint index for banking customers for March 2026.

The March report is, in many ways, unusual.

This is the first anti-ranking without Bank BTB, which was reorganized into a non-bank credit organization in early March. And it is the first report in which the regulator deemed it necessary to add a special disclaimer that was not present before.

What lies behind the numbers: Service or systemic issues?

Before moving on to specific banks, it is worth recalling what the CBA complaint index measures. It is the ratio of a bank's share in the total flow of complaints received by the Central Bank to its share in the sector's customer base.

An index above 1.0 means that the bank generates a disproportionately higher number of complaints than would be expected given its size.

The key question is why a customer chooses to complain to the regulator rather than the bank itself. Typically, an appeal to the CBA is a result of the customer not receiving a resolution at the bank level. Either the bank did not respond, responded unsatisfactorily, or the issue is of a nature that the bank is unable to resolve.

This leads to two fundamentally different scenarios.

The first scenario is that the bank underinvests in customer complaint handling processes: slow response times, lack of feedback channels, or formal, dismissive replies. This is a matter of internal service quality and CRM, and it is solvable. A bank that builds an effective system for handling complaints reduces the customer's motivation to turn to the regulator—and, accordingly, improves its position in the anti-ranking.

The second scenario is more serious. The issues may be systemic in nature (for example, delays in deposit returns, transaction blocks, or restrictions on withdrawals). In this case, no CRM system can help: the customer does not need a polite dismissal; they need their money and a resolution to serious problems.

The difference between these scenarios is the difference between a bank that needs to fine-tune its processes and a bank with deeper issues.

So, in March, Expressbank topped the anti-ranking with an index of 2.64. However, it should be emphasized that Expressbank is not among the chronic occupants of the top spots: for most of 2025, it consistently remained in the middle of the table. The sharp rise in its index began precisely at the turn of the year.

At the same time, context is important: the current leader's value of 2.64 is significantly lower than the figures we were accustomed to seeing from previous anti-leaders.

Bank BTB, in recent months, showed indices ranging from 3.36 to 7.65, while Bank Avrasiya set an absolute record in January with 6.89. Against this backdrop, 2.64 no longer looks like a catastrophic figure.

Azər-Türk Bank: Third month in the top zone

Second place, with an index of 2.16, was taken by Azər-Türk Bank. This is the second consecutive month that the bank has been in the upper part of the anti-ranking: January—15th place (0.81), February—4th (2.78), March—2nd. Such a consistent negative trend—from the lower ranks to the top in three months—deserves attention and may indicate changes either in service quality or in the nature of customer complaints. It should be noted that the bank's customer base has grown, which may be one of the reasons for the increase in complaints. If so, the bank urgently needs to improve the efficiency of its internal complaint handling procedures. We will continue to monitor this bank and hope that the new management team will pay special attention to this issue.

Premium Bank: Return to the red zone

In 4th place is Premium Bank with an index of 1.73. The bank was absent from the anti-ranking in January and February 2026 (meaning no complaints were filed against it with the CBA), and prior to that, it last appeared in the red zone in December 2025 (6th place, 1.25). Returning straight to 4th place after two 'zero' months is a sharp shift that stands out against the general background.

It was 'surpassed' by Yelo Bank, which rose from 7th to 3rd place (1.80).

Bank Avrasiya: Second month of silence

Bank Avrasiya is completely absent from the CBA anti-ranking for the second consecutive month—no complaints were filed against it. Recall that in January 2026, the bank set an absolute record for the anti-ranking with 6.89. Before that, it appeared in the ranking only once—in April 2025 with an index of 3.07.

Read on the topic:

How Bank Avrasiya Dethroned the Bank of Ramiz Mehtiyev’s Family from Its Position as the Market’s Worst Performer

Considering that FNIU previously highlighted liquidity issues with this bank, the picture looks unusual. A sharp spike to record levels followed by a complete disappearance of complaints is an atypical trajectory for a bank with a traditional business model.

Read on the topic:

The Anatomy of Bank Avrasiya: Liquidity Deficit, Dependence on the Government «IV Drip,» and the Secret of Former Beneficiaries

Movement in the middle of the table

AFB Bank significantly improved its position—from 3rd place in February (2.95) to 7th in March (1.45). Unibank retains 5th position, although its index dropped from 2.34 to 1.64.

Rabitəbank remains stable—8th position (1.24) after 9th in February. Bank of Baku dropped out of the top ten to 10th place (1.01)—on the border of the middle and green zones. ABB remains in the lower half—11th place (0.95).

Lower part of the table: Unusual configuration

For the first time in our monitoring history, the last place in the anti-ranking was not taken by PAŞA Bank, but by Bank VTB Azərbaycan—with an index of 0.41. PAŞA Bank is in 15th place (0.65), and Xalq Bank is in 16th (0.61). All three banks remain in the green zone, but the very fact of a change in the 'bottom leader' is atypical.

PAŞA Bank, however, maintains its status as the most stable bank in the lower part of the anti-ranking over the entire observation period: in 16 months of monitoring, it has never left the green zone.

New CBA disclaimer

A noteworthy detail: for the first time, the March report includes a disclaimer from the regulator—'the complaint index does not pose a threat to the financial stability or operations of banks.'

Such wording was previously absent from reports. It can be assumed that the growing attention to the anti-ranking—including from analysts and the media—prompted the CBA to emphasize that the complaint index and a bank's financial stability are separate matters.

Dynamics of key banks (December 2025—March 2026)

'—' indicates absence from the ranking (zero complaints for the month). Positions in the ranking are in parentheses.

What’s next

March 2026 opens a new chapter in the CBA anti-ranking—without Bank BTB, with a new set of leaders, and with a clear signal from the regulator.

FNIU will continue its monthly monitoring of the complaint index, paying special attention to banks occupying the top spots in the anti-ranking.

We are convinced that the quality of handling customer complaints is not only a matter of reputation but also an indicator of the maturity of a banking business.

First News Intelligence Unit (FNIU)—an analytical division of the 1news.az editorial team, specializing in research on Azerbaijan's financial sector and economy.

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Индекс жалоб ЦБА за март 2026: неожиданные изменения в списке и осторожный «сигнал» регулятора

Martda bankların şikayət indeksi: gözlənilməz dəyişikliklər və tənzimləyicinin ehtiyatlı “siqnalı”