TRAI mandates phase-wise adoption of 1600-series by BFSI sector entities

• 21 Nov 2025
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), on 19 November, issued a direction that mandates the deadlines for adopting the ‘1600’ numbering series by entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). This move by the authority aims to enhance consumer trust, reduce spam and prevent fraudulent activities that are often conducted through voice calls.

The ‘1600’ numbering series has been assigned by the Department of Telecommunications to distinguish service and transactional calls made by entities in the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector as well as government organizations from other commercial communications. This series will help citizens to identify legitimate calls that come from regulated financial institutions, ensuring reliability. 

Since assignment of series and allocation of numbering resources to Telecom Service Providers, TRAI has consistently engaged with TSPs and regulators in the BFSI sector to promote the adoption of the 1600 series among BFSI entities. As a result of these efforts made by the authority, approximately 485 entities have now adopted the 1600 series and subscribed to over 2,800 numbers in total.

Upon consultation with multiple stakeholders, TRAI determined that it is now appropriate to mandate a time bound completion of this transition. This will ensure that entities still using standard 10 digit numbers for service and transactional calls shift to the 1600 series and contribute to reducing the risk of fraudulent or misleading calls that may impersonate trusted financial institutions and trick the customers. 

TRAI has obtained input on timelines from the regulators of the BFSI sector, following discussions during meetings of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR). Based on these consultations, a phase-wise implementation schedule has now been issued.

Key Provisions of TRAI Direction

Here are the key provisions of the direction issued by TRAI:-

(a) Entities Regulated by SEBI

Here are the directions for the SEBI-regulated entities:-

• By 15 February 2026, the adoption of 1600 numbering series must be completed for all mutual funds and asset management companies.

• By 15 March 2026, the adoption of 1600 numbering series must be completed for all qualified stockbrokers. 

• Other SEBI-registered intermediaries, for the time being, may willingly migrate to the 1600 series upon their registration details’ verification.

(b) Entities Regulated by RBI

The TRAI directions for RBI-regulated entities are provided below:-

• The commercial banks like public sector banks, foreign banks and private sector banks must be onboard by the deadline 1 January 2026.

• By 1 February 2026, the large non-banking financial companies having asset size above Rs. 5000 crore, small finance banks and payments banks must be onboard. 

• The remaining non-banking financial companies, cooperative banks, regional rural banks and smaller entities must be onboard by 1 March 2026.

(c) Entities Regulated Entities

For entities regulated by PFRDA, the following direction has been issued by TRAI:

• The central recordkeeping agencies and pension fund managers must be onboard by the deadline of 15 February 2026.

Discussions are currently underway with the IRDAI regarding the deadline for adopting the 1600 series by entities in the insurance sector. An official announcement will be made in due course. 

The organized and timely implementation of the 1600 series will greatly enhance consumer safety and help reduce financial frauds that involve impersonation through voice calls.

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)