By Watipaso Mzungu
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-For a bank that prides itself as the oldest and largest commercial bank in Malawi, with over five decades in the industry, National Bank of Malawi (NBM) is increasingly being accused of providing below-standard, frustrating banking services that leave customers stranded.
Hundreds of customers across the country are now up in arms after being debited at the bank’s Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) without receiving cash, only for the bank to take days to reverse the failed transactions.
One of the affected customers is Trevor Nyondo, who was debited at National Bank of Malawi’s ATM at Game Complex in Lilongwe on Friday, but the machine did not dispense the cash.
“I was debited at Game Complex ATM on Friday. The money left my account but no cash came out. Up to now, the bank has not reversed the transaction. You call customer care, they tell you to wait,” Nyondo complained.
He is not alone. Similar complaints have flooded social media and banking halls, with customers reporting the same experience at the bank’s ATM at Crossroads Complex in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
“Other customers were debited at Crossroads on Wednesday and they are still waiting for their money. How does a big bank like National Bank fail to handle a simple ATM reversal in 2026? This is basic banking,” said Nyondo.
For many Malawians, especially those who rely on cash for business and daily survival, such delays are more than an inconvenience – they are an economic punishment. Customers say when they are debited without cash, they are left with no money for transport, food, school fees and business capital, while the bank holds their money for days.
What has angered customers the most is the bank’s silence and slow response. Despite being in the industry for over 50 years and boasting of huge investments in digital banking, National Bank of Malawi is yet to automate instant reversals for failed ATM transactions – a standard that even newer, smaller banks in Malawi and across the region have managed to implement.
“This is not 1990. In this era of real-time banking, a failed ATM transaction should be reversed instantly or within hours, not days. National Bank has been in this business for decades, they should know better. Instead, they are taking customers for granted,” said another customer who was affected at Crossroads but asked not to be named for fear of victimization.
Efforts to get an immediate explanation from the bank on why hundreds of customers suffered simultaneous ATM failures at two of its busiest sites in Lilongwe and why reversals are taking ages, have been met with generic responses about “technical glitches” and “the matter is being worked on.”
Consumer rights activists say the conduct raises serious questions about the bank’s respect for customers and the effectiveness of banking regulation in Malawi.
“When you are debited and you don’t get cash, that is your money the bank is holding without your consent. Taking ages to refund it is unethical and borders on exploitation, especially for a systemic bank like National Bank that controls a huge share of the market,” said one Lilongwe-based consumer advocate.
Customers are now demanding that the Reserve Bank of Malawi intervenes to set strict timelines for ATM dispute resolution and that National Bank of Malawi compensates affected clients for the distress and financial loss caused.
As of press time, hundreds of affected customers at Game Complex and Crossroads Complex were still waiting for their money to reflect back into their accounts.
The bank is yet to respond to our questionnaire.
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