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Symantec to verify applicants seeking to use '.bank' domain

Symantec will verify the eligibility of companies requesting ".bank" domain names, and that the requested domain name complies with fTLD policies.

December 11, 2014

FTLD Registry Services LLC has announced that Symantec Corp. will provide verification services for the ".bank" and ".insurance" generic top-level domains.

Operating rights for the financial top-level domain ".bank" were granted to fTLD Registry Services in September by the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers. The domain is expected to be available in mid-2015. FTLD's application for .insurance is currently pending.

FTLD Registry Services LLC is a coalition of banks, insurance companies and financial services trade associations from around the world. The organization was formed in 2011 to secure generic top-level domains for banking and insurance companies.

ICANN is the oversight body responsible for the stability and unification of the Internet. It is responsible for policy development governing existing and new generic top-level domains.

In its role, Symantec will verify the eligibility of companies requesting domain names, ensuring that the requestor is authorized to do so, and that the requested domain name complies with fTLD policies.

"The cornerstone of consumer trust in '.bank' and '.insurance' is ensuring that only verified members of the banking and insurance communities are permitted to register domain names," said Craig Schwartz, managing director of fTLD. "Symantec is the market leader in verifying the authenticity of organizations, and we are confident in their ability to uphold our strict standards." 

"Trust and security are the foundation of the banking and insurance industries," said Roxane Divol, SVP and GM, Trust Services, at Symantec. "We are partnering with fTLD to provide an ever-greater level of assurance to customers doing online financial transactions through top-level domains."