Customer protection

Through advocacy, coordination, and education, the ABBL helps safeguard the interests of retail clients, investors, and consumers while ensuring the financial sector remains resilient and competitive.

Promoting a Fair and Transparent Banking Environment

The ABBL works closely with banks, regulators, and policymakers to ensure that customer-facing rules are clear, effective, and consistently applied. Its contributions include:

• Supporting the implementation of key EU and national consumer protection regulations, including:
  • MiFID II (for investor protection).
  • PSD2 and PSD3 (for payment services transparency).
  • Mortgage Credit and Consumer Credit Directives.

• Helping members interpret and apply rules on:
  • Pre-contractual disclosure and information duties.
  • Suitability and appropriateness assessments.
  • Fee transparency and product comparability.
  • Clear communication and marketing practices.

By advocating for balanced and proportionate regulation, the ABBL ensures that compliance strengthens—not hinders—the customer relationship.

Engaging in Public Dialogue and Financial Education

The ABBL plays an important role in raising public awareness and financial literacy, helping consumers make informed choices and understand their rights. This includes:

• Supporting national initiatives in financial education in collaboration with the government and partner associations.
• Participating in awareness campaigns around scams, phishing, and digital fraud prevention.

• Providing public information through consumer-facing FAQs, thematic brochures, and media contributions.
• Promoting transparency in digital banking and payment tools, ensuring usability and accessibility for all client profiles.

This focus on education builds confidence in digital finance and supports the financial inclusion of all population segments.

Encouraging Ethical Conduct and Complaint Resolution

The ABBL helps foster a responsible banking culture through:

• Promotion of codes of conduct and best practice charters for member banks.
• Supporting access to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms, such as:
  • The CSSF’s out-of-court complaints service.
  • Internal bank mediation processes and ombudsman referrals.

• Encouraging fair treatment of customers, especially in sensitive areas such as:
  • Creditworthiness assessments.
  • Debt restructuring.
  • Account closure procedures.

Through these mechanisms, the ABBL contributes to efficient, fair, and low-cost solutions for resolving disputes and improving client satisfaction.

Monitoring Emerging Risks and Customer Needs

The ABBL maintains a forward-looking approach to customer protection by:

• Tracking emerging risks in digital banking (e.g., identity theft, deepfakes, algorithmic bias).
• Working with data protection authorities and cybersecurity experts to ensure clients’ personal and financial data are handled with the highest standards of care.

This enables the banking sector to anticipate challenges and adapt customer protection frameworks as technology and customer needs evolve.

Ensuring Accessibility of Banking Services

Promoting equal access to financial services is essential for fostering inclusive economic participation. The ABBL supports member institutions in:

• Enhancing the physical and digital accessibility of banking services for vulnerable groups, including seniors and persons with disabilities.
• Encouraging the development of inclusive design in digital interfaces, such as mobile banking apps and ATMs.

• Promoting multilingual support and simplified communications for better customer comprehension.
• Collaborating with public institutions and social actors to bridge digital and financial divides.

By supporting inclusive service models, the ABBL ensures that the banking sector serves all segments of society equitably and respectfully.