Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar

What Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar does

CSALB (Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar), also known as the Alternative Banking Dispute Resolution Centre (ABDRC), is a Romanian non-governmental, not-for-profit entity of public interest that provides out-of-court alternative dispute resolution between consumers and credit institutions or non-banking financial institutions. Established under Government Ordinance 38/2015, which transposes EU Directive 2013/11/EU, CSALB began operating on 1 March 2016 and is the designated ADR body for financial-banking disputes in Romania.

The core products are two ADR procedures — conciliation (proposed solution) and arbitration (imposed solution) — both capped at 90 days, delivered through a network of 21 expert conciliators with backgrounds in law and finance. Consumers and (since 2020) legal entities initiate cases via a web-based online application platform (formular.csalb.ro), supplemented by phone, email, postal mail, and in-person channels. The underlying technology is consequently a relatively lightweight intake and case-management platform rather than a complex technical product; the value is delivered through human-mediated negotiation leveraging regulatory authority and conciliator expertise.

The business model is statutory and non-commercial: CSALB is funded by contributions from credit institutions and NBFIs, supplemented by fees for services to third parties, donations, and sponsorships, while services to consumers are free of charge. Its primary customers are individual Romanian consumers with credit, deposit, payment, or card disputes, with legal entities as a secondary segment. Governance is exercised by a 5-member Steering Board drawn from ANPC, BNR, the Romanian Banking Association, and consumer associations, embedding the organization in the country's financial-regulatory architecture.

Name

Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar

Legal name

Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar

Website

https://csalb.ro

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSALB is Romania's statutory non-profit Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre for financial-banking conflicts between consumers and banks or NBFIs, offering free conciliation and arbitration via a 21-conciliator network, online intake, and a 90-day deadline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Collections & Creditor Negotiation Support (Debtor-Side) (FSAEAFAI)

Keywords

• Alternative dispute resolution
• Banking dispute mediation
• Consumer financial complaints
• Conciliation arbitration services
• Out-of-court settlement

Headquarters

HQ city

Bucharest

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Institution funding from financial sector: CSALB is funded from contributions of credit institutions and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs). The organization is non-profit and provides services free of charge to consumers. Additional sources include own resources from fee revenues and amounts charged for services rendered to third parties, as well as donations and sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CSALB provides out-of-court alternative dispute resolution (ADR) between consumers and credit institutions or non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) in Romania, through two procedural mechanisms: conciliation (proposed solution) and arbitration (imposed solution). Services are free of charge to consumers and must be completed within 90 days. The core delivery is supported by a web-based online application platform allowing electronic submission of negotiations requests, supplemented by phone, email, postal, and in-person intake channels.

Product overview

CSALB operates as a single unified service offering Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for financial-banking disputes. The core offering consists of two procedural tracks: Conciliation (procedure with proposed solution) and Arbitration (procedure with imposed solution), supported by an online application platform. The organization also provides complementary services including financial education resources (podcasts, interviews, recommendations), regular activity reports, and newsletter subscriptions. Services are available to both individuals and legal entities, with procedures designed to resolve disputes within 90 days at no cost to consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Services - Conciliation Out-of-court conciliation procedure (proposed solution) between consumers and banks or non-banking financial institutions in Romania. Free of charge for consumers and must be completed within 90 days.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Services - Arbitration Out-of-court arbitration procedure (imposed solution) between consumers and banks or non-banking financial institutions in Romania. Final resolutions have enforceability similar to court judgments when accepted by both parties.
• Online Application Submission Platform Web-based platform enabling consumers to submit negotiation requests electronically with banks and non-banking financial institutions, available 24/7.
• Procedures for Legal Entities Dispute resolution procedures available to Romanian legal entities (companies) for payment services and e-money issuing disputes, launched as an extension of CSALB's competences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% success rate in negotiations accepted by banks in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Romanian Commercial BankscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Banks participate in ADR procedures when consumers file applications, provide information about CSALB in their branches and agreements, and have set up dedicated internal structures to handle conciliation cases.
• KANTAR TNS (Research Partner)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018KANTAR TNS conducted consumer research at CSALB's request to understand consumer problems with banks and NBFIs, providing insights for awareness campaigns.
• Faculty of Law BucharestminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017CSALB organized a conference on 'Alternative financial and banking dispute resolution' with the Faculty of Law Bucharest on October 5, 2017, promoting legal education and awareness.
• National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016ANPC designates a representative to the Steering Board of CSALB. The representative participates in approving underlying policy and strategy for CSALB's activities and ensures consumer protection perspectives are represented in governance.
• National Bank of Romania (BNR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016National Bank of Romania designates a representative to the Steering Board of CSALB. BNR regulates and supervises the financial-banking sector, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements.
• Romanian Banking Association (ARB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Romanian Banking Association designates a representative to the Steering Board of CSALB. ARB represents the interests of banking institutions and facilitates participation of banks in ADR procedures.
• Consumer Associations in RomaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Consumer associations designate a representative to the Steering Board and support awareness campaigns. CSALB holds annual work meetings with consumer associations to discuss collaboration and consumer outreach.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Romanian Banking Association (ARB / Asociația Română a Băncilor): Industry body representing Romanian banks. ARB designates a Steering Board member for CSALB and its member institutions both fund and participate in conciliation procedures, making ARB a key counterparty ecosystem participant for CSALB.
• FIN-NET: European Commission-sponsored network of national financial ADR bodies that facilitates cross-border consumer dispute resolution. CSALB is a FIN-NET member; the network is the EU-level umbrella that CSALB operates within.
• ANPC (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor): Romania's National Consumer Protection Authority. Adjacent rather than competing: ANPC designates a Steering Board member for CSALB, handles broader consumer protection enforcement, and refers banking disputes to CSALB.

Direct peers

• Arbitro Bancario Finanziario (ABF): Italy's statutory banking and financial ombudsman system operated under Banca d'Italia. Directly comparable to CSALB: public-interest ADR body resolving disputes between consumers and banks/NBFIs, free for users, established to transpose EU ADR/ODR directives.
• Ombudsfin (Belgium): Belgian ombudsman for financial disputes handling consumer complaints against banks and financial institutions. Comparable mandate, EU-ADR-aligned structure, and free consumer service model.
• Financial Ombudsman Service (UK): UK statutory ombudsman for financial services disputes between consumers and financial firms. Closest international parallel to CSALB in terms of mandate, free consumer access, and statutory footing within the EU-aligned consumer protection framework.
• KiFiD (Klachteninstituut Financiële Dienstverlening): Dutch Financial Services Complaints Institute, combining an ombudsman and dispute committee for consumer-financial institution disputes. Comparable to CSALB in ADR function, free consumer access, and industry-funded operating model.
• Le Médiateur de l'Assurance / Médiateur bancaire (Banque de France): France's banking mediator for consumer disputes with credit institutions, operated under Banque de France oversight. Comparable in mandate, free-of-charge consumer access, and EU ADR directive compliance.
• Schlichtungsstelle der BaFin: Germany's BaFin-recognised arbitration board for banking disputes, providing ADR for consumer complaints against financial institutions. Comparable statutory role and EU-ADR directive alignment.
• Rzecznik Finansowy (Polish Financial Ombudsman): Polish Financial Ombudsman representing consumer interests in disputes with financial market entities. Directly comparable as a CEE peer ADR body handling banking, insurance, and investment disputes under EU ADR framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/csalb.ro
• Instagraminstagram.com/csalb_du_vestea_ma_departe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csalb

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centrul de Soluționare Alternativă a Litigiilor în Domeniul Bancar