RBI announces ‘bank.in’, ‘fin.in’ domains for banks, NBFCs to combat cyber fraud

To combat increased instances of fraud in digital payments which have caused significant concern, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced to introduce the ‘bank.in’ exclusive Internet domain for Indian banks.

“This initiative aims to reduce cybersecurity threats and malicious activities like phishing; and, streamline secure financial services, thereby enhancing trust in digital banking and payment services,” RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced as part of his statement on developmental and regulatory policies.

The Institute for Development and Research in Banking’ Technology (IDRBT) will act as the exclusive registrar. The actual registrations will commence from April 2025. Detailed guidelines for banks will be issued separately. Going forward, it is planned to have an exclusive domain viz., “fin.in” for other non-bank entities in the financial sector, he said.