Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan has issued a directive to credit institutions in response to numerous complaints from citizens regarding the automatic deduction of social payments and benefits from their bank cards to repay loan debts.

According to the letter, the regulator has received appeals indicating that certain credit institutions have been withholding funds intended for socially vulnerable groups without obtaining the prior consent of the clients. These include payments made to low-income families, disability benefits, temporary incapacity allowances, and other forms of state assistance.

The Central Bank emphasizes that such payments are integral components of the social protection system and must be used strictly for their intended purposes. In accordance with Article 57 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the state is obliged to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities, the elderly, the incapacitated, and other individuals in need.

Additionally, Article 21 of the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights” clearly states that no contract may contain provisions that infringe upon consumers’ rights or deprive them of legally established benefits and protections.

The regulator considers the practice of automatically deducting social benefits without the explicit consent of citizens to be unfair, unethical, and contrary to the principles of social responsibility.

In this regard, the Central Bank has called on all credit institutions to review their existing debt collection procedures and to amend their automated systems in order to prevent the deduction of social payments in an acceptant (automatic) mode.

Furthermore, in the event of complaints from clients, institutions are required to immediately cease such deductions and take measures to return any funds that were wrongfully withdrawn to the beneficiaries’ accounts.