A domain criminals can't just buy
Phishers love look-alike bank domains. .bank is the industry's answer: a TLD where every registrant is verified as a real, regulated institution before getting a name. It's operated by fTLD Registry Services, set up by banking and insurance trade groups, which also runs .insurance.
Beyond eligibility checks, fTLD sets security requirements for .bank names — encrypted connections, DNSSEC and email authentication among them. A link to yourbank.bank therefore carries more assurance than a random .com that merely contains the word "bank."
Good for
- Regulated banks, savings associations and bank associations
Watch out for
- Only verified, regulated institutions qualify
- Strict technical requirements (like HTTPS and DNSSEC) must be met
.bank by the numbers
.bank is a generic top-level domain (gTLD), aimed at finance, money & crypto. fTLD Registry Services LLC runs the registry under a contract with ICANN.
ICANN's records put the delegation of .bank on January 9, 2015. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on September 25, 2014.
fTLD Registry Services LLC also runs one other TLD, including .insurance.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .bank, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .bank haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.bank).
Same registry, other endings
1 other TLD shares this operator.
.bank FAQ
Who can get a .bank domain?
Verified, regulated banks and related organizations such as bank associations. Each registrant is checked before a name is approved.
Who runs .bank?
fTLD Registry Services, a company formed by banking and insurance industry associations. It also runs .insurance.
What does .bank mean?
.bank is a generic top-level domain named for the word "bank", and it's aimed at finance, money & crypto. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .bank used for?
.bank is mostly used for finance, money & crypto. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .bank?
None. .bank is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .bank domain extension?
fTLD Registry Services LLC operates .bank as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .bank created?
.bank was delegated to the DNS root zone on January 9, 2015.
Is .bank a valid domain?
Yes. .bank is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2015, so .bank addresses work in every browser.
Is .bank DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .bank.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 21, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
