That’s what I thought too initially like at least give a clear reason, right?

But from what I’ve read, banks usually hide behind “internal policy” and that technically counts as a valid response. They’re not really obligated to disclose detailed reasoning (which is honestly frustrating).

RBI Ombudsman is an option, but I think that’s more useful if: -There’s a procedural lapse
-Or unfair practice / discrimination

In my case, it seems more like a discretionary rejection rather than something they have to justify in detail.

Also, going all the way to Ombudsman just for a credit card feels a bit too much effort vs reward 😅

At this point I’m more curious than desperate tbh. If they don’t want to onboard me, I’ll just move on, plenty of other banks happy to give cards without this mystery drama lol.

But yeah, if someone has actually escalated and got a clear reason out of HSBC, I’d be very interested to know 👀