TRAI orders BFSI sector to shift to ‘1600’ calling series by early 2026 to curb fraud

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on November 19 set strict deadlines for banks, financial institutions and market intermediaries to switch their service and transactional calls to the dedicated ‘1600’ numbering series, tightening its crackdown on spam and impersonation-driven financial fraud.

The ‘1600’ series, allocated by the Department of Telecommunications exclusively for regulated BFSI entities and government bodies, is meant to give consumers a clear and reliable way to identify genuine calls from banks, mutual funds, brokerages and pension fund managers. While 485 entities have already adopted the series and taken more than 2,800 numbers, TRAI noted that many institutions continue to use regular 10-digit mobile numbers — the very channels often exploited by scammers posing as trusted financial institutions.

Following consultations with RBI, SEBI and PFRDA through the Joint Committee of Regulators, TRAI has now fixed a phase-wise migration schedule.

Commercial banks will have to adopt the series by January 1, 2026, while large NBFCs, payments banks and small finance banks must follow by February 1. The remaining NBFCs, cooperative banks, regional rural banks and other smaller entities have been given time until March 1.