Home › Circulars › RBI/2011-12/514

UAPA Compliance: Update Al-Qaida Sanctions List for Urban Co-op Banks

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/514 · issued 19 Apr 2012 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI directs all Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks to update their records with the latest UN Al-Qaida Sanctions List, screen new and existing accounts, and follow UAPA freezing procedures. Compliance officers must acknowledge receipt to the regional office.
Sanctions-list safety note. This circular refers to a specific UN Security Council / UAPA designated-entities list update as it stood on the date above — sanctions lists change often, and a newer update almost certainly exists today. Never use this page, or any single dated circular, as your current screening list. Always screen against the live, current list at the official UAPA proscribed-organisations list and the UN Consolidated List, and confirm the obligations for your bank on the official rbi.org.in source below.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

Ravi, a co-operative bank branch officer in Indore, receives this RBI circular. He immediately updates his bank's internal system with the latest Al-Qaida Sanctions List from the UN website. Then, he screens all new loan applications that day and reviews every existing gold-loan account, finding none that match the list, so he sends a confirmation email to the RBI regional office as instructed.

What changed

RBI has circulated an updated Al-Qaida Sanctions List from the UN Security Council's 1267/1989 Committee, as forwarded by the Ministry of External Affairs via a note dated January 26, 2012. This updates the list previously circulated in the March 1, 2012 circular. Banks must now use this updated list for customer screening.

What it means for you

Urban co-operative banks must immediately update their internal sanctions lists and ensure no new accounts are opened for listed individuals/entities. Existing accounts must be scanned, and any matches must be frozen as per the UAPA Order of August 27, 2009. Non-compliance could lead to regulatory action.

What you must do

Who it affects

All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks, Compliance Officers and Principal Officers of these banks, Branch managers handling account opening and monitoring

❓ Common questions

What is the source of the updated sanctions list?

The list is from the UN Security Council's 1267/1989 Committee's Al-Qaida Sanctions List, forwarded by the Ministry of External Affairs via a note dated January 26, 2012.

What action is required for existing accounts that match the list?

Banks must freeze the funds, financial assets, or economic resources of such accounts, following the procedure in paragraph 7 of the November 16, 2009 circular.

Who needs to acknowledge receipt of this circular?

The Compliance Officer or Principal Officer of the bank must send an acknowledgment to the respective Regional Office of RBI.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/514 UBD.BPD (PCB) Cir. No.30/14.01.062/2011-12 April 19, 2012 The Chief Executive Officer of All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks Madam/Dear Sir, Implementation of Section 51-A of UAPA, 1967 - Updates of the UNSCR 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) Committee's Al Qaida Sanctions List Please refer to our circular UBD.CO.BPD (PCB) Cir. No. 21/14.01.062/2011-12 dated March 01, 2012 . We have since received from Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, UNP Division copy of note dated January 26, 2012 forwarded by the Chairman of UN Security Council's 1267/ 1989 Committee ( copy enclosed ) regarding changes made in the “Al-Qaida Sanctions List”, i.e. list of Individuals and entities linked to Al-Qaida. 2. Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks are required to update the list of individuals/entities as circulated by Reserve Bank and before opening any new account, it should be ensured that the name/s of the proposed customer does not appear in the list. Further, banks should scan all existing accounts to ensure that no account is held by or linked to any of the entities or individuals included in the list. 3. Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks are advised to strictly follow the procedure laid down in the UAPA Order dated August 27, 2009 enclosed to our circular UBD.CO.BPD. PCB.Cir. No. 21/12.05.001/2009-10 dated November 16, 2009 and ensure meticulous compliance to the Order issued by the Government. 4.  As far as freezing of funds, financial assets or economic resources or related services held in the form of bank accounts of the designated individuals/entities are concerned, action should be taken as detailed in paragraph 7 of the circular dated November 16, 2009 mentioned above. 5. The complete details of the said list are available on the UN website:       http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/aq_sanctions_list.shtml 6. The Compliance Officer/Principal Officer should acknowledge receipt of this circular to the Regional Office concerned. Yours faithfully, (Scenta Joy) Deputy General Manager Encl: As above
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/514 · issued 19 Apr 2012. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Most relevant forCompliance TeamBranch Manager — PSU / Co-op / RRB (sanctioning powers)Branch Operations (Accounts / FD / CASA)KYC / AML AnalystTeller / Cashier / Customer Service OfficerPersonal Banker / Branch RM (Portfolio)
🛠 Banker’s toolkit — checklists & reply templates →
Related circulars · Department of Regulation
SFB Pillar 3 Disclosure Norms Aligned with BaselUCB Deposit Rate Disclosure & Uniformity Rules UpdatedLAB Deposit Rate Disclosure & Uniformity Rules TightenedPayments Banks: Interest Rates Must Match Disclosed ScheduleRBI Updates Bulk Deposit Rate Rules and Disclosure Timing
Browse all departments →
Who does what — compliance checklist
💻 IT / Systems
  • Screen all new account applications against the updated list before opening accounts.
📜 Compliance
  • Update your bank's internal database with the latest UN Al-Qaida Sanctions List from the provided UN website.
  • Conduct a thorough review of all existing accounts to identify any linked to listed individuals/entities.
  • Freeze any identified accounts and related assets as per paragraph 7 of the November 16, 2009 circular.
  • Ensure the Compliance Officer/Principal Officer acknowledges receipt of this circular to the concerned Regional Office.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks, Compliance Officers and Principal Officers of these banks, Branch managers handling account opening and monitoring), your first concrete step on “UAPA Compliance: Update Al-Qaida Sanctions List for Urban Co-op Banks” is: “Update your bank's internal database with the latest UN Al-Qaida Sanctions List from the provided UN website.” (RBI issued this 19 Apr 2012).

  1. Circular: RBI/2011-12/514 -- UAPA Compliance: Update Al-Qaida Sanctions List for Urban Co-op Banks
  2. Issued: 19 Apr 2012
  3. Action required: Update your bank's internal database with the latest UN Al-Qaida Sanctions List from the provided UN website.
  4. Action required: Screen all new account applications against the updated list before opening accounts.
  5. Action required: Conduct a thorough review of all existing accounts to identify any linked to listed individuals/entities.
  6. Action required: Freeze any identified accounts and related assets as per paragraph 7 of the November 16, 2009 circular.
  7. Action required: Ensure the Compliance Officer/Principal Officer acknowledges receipt of this circular to the concerned Regional Office.
  8. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  9. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  10. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

Loading comments…
BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=7148&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
Public beta — plain-English informational summaries. Always verify against the official RBI source (circular number cited on every page) before making compliance, credit, treasury, audit, or operational decisions. · Join our WhatsApp channel ↗
—