India’s oldest state-owned lender makes the first big move under RBI’s April 2025 circular, setting a standard for safer banking in the digital age.

How does a person know whether a banking website is real or fake? For years, customers have been tricked by fraud portals with look-alike addresses. With rising cyber fraud cases, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in April 2025 ordered all banks to shift their websites to the safe .bank.in domain.

Punjab National Bank is the first major lender to act. Its website now redirects to pnb.bank.in, marking a bold step in digital safety.

PNB Moves To Secure Official Bank.in Website

The migration of Punjab National Bank’s website is not a small event. The redirection was officially announced in August 2025. Customers who try to visit the old site are shown a message guiding them to use the new address.

By completing this shift, Punjab National Bank became the first public sector bank to follow the April 2025 RBI circular.

This change matters because Punjab National Bank is among the largest lenders in the country. Millions of households use its services. A safe and verified domain now lowers the chances of phishing attacks. With this early action, the bank has given confidence to its vast customer base.

The RBI Order And Policy Background

The story of this change begins with the RBI’s policy statement of 7 February 2025. The report was titled Enhancing Trust in the Financial Sector through ‘bank.in’ and ‘fin.in’ Domains. It spoke about the growing threat of phishing websites and the need for a uniform and secure digital space for banks.

The RBI followed up with a formal circular on 22 April 2025. This circular directed every licensed bank in India to move to a .bank.in domain by 31 October 2025. The purpose was clear. Customers should only trust websites ending with .bank.in for any banking activity.

The scale of PNB explains why this migration was done at the earliest.

Category	Number	Year of Record
Branches	10,189	March 2025
ATMs	11,822	March 2025
Employees	102,746	March 2025

With such a vast network, even small lapses in digital safety can affect thousands of people each day. Moving first was a way for PNB to secure trust and stay ahead of cyber risks.

Punjab National Bank Adopts Bank.in For Security

The .bank.in domain is not open for everyone. It is a restricted digital space. Only licensed Indian banks can register under it. No private company, individual, or fraudulent group can use it. This makes phishing almost impossible.

Phishing is a method where fake websites copy the look of real bank portals. Customers click on these sites, enter details, and lose money. By forcing banks into .bank.in, the RBI created a strong digital wall. Customers can now check the domain name before entering sensitive information.

The RBI made its stand clear by attaching strict timelines.

RBI Order Date	Reported Action	Deadline
7 February 2025	Policy statement on digital trust (fin.in & bank.in domains)	Announced
22 April 2025	Circular to all banks to migrate	October 2025
August 2025	Compliance review and updates issued	Ongoing

This table shows that Punjab National Bank acted in advance. While others are still preparing, it has already finished the shift..

Safe Banking With Punjab National Bank Domain Shift

The technical side of this move also matters. The new website comes with better server checks and updated SSL certificates. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a technology that encrypts information between the user and the website. This protects details such as passwords, OTPs, and transactions.

Cyber experts have often said that phishing succeeds because people fail to notice tiny spelling changes. Fraud sites may look like the original but use small variations in web addresses. By using .bank.in, this confusion ends. Customers can now be sure that only a licensed bank can use the domain.

Punjab National Bank’s early migration highlights the difference between lenders.

Public Sector Bank	Domain Status (as of August 2025)	RBI Compliance Date
Punjab National Bank	Migrated to pnb.bank.in	Ahead of deadline
State Bank of India	In migration process	By 31 October 2025
Bank of Baroda	Migration not announced	By 31 October 2025

The table shows that while Punjab National Bank has completed the shift, others still have work to do. With the RBI deadline approaching, these banks must act fast.

Conclusion

The RBI policy of February 2025 created the vision. The April 2025 circular made it mandatory. Punjab National Bank has shown how to act on it. By moving to pnb.bank.in, the bank has secured millions of customers against phishing threats.

The bank’s size and reach make this action even more important. With more than ten thousand branches and a massive digital base, Punjab National Bank has set an example for others.

As the October 2025 deadline nears, the entire banking sector will be judged on its readiness. For now, Punjab National Bank stands ahead as the first mover. Its early adoption signals that digital safety in Indian banking has entered a new phase.

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