.banque

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Status:	Proposed
Type:	Generic
Category:	Commerce
Priority #:	1850 - GEXBAN SAS

.banque is a proposed TLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is GEXBAN SAS.

Application Details

Excerpts from response to Question 18:
"The .banque gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of consumers by maintaining the great value and trust that customers attach to the word ‘banque’, and by ensuring that domain names within this domain space are only used by licensed banks and professional banking associations. .banque will be a domain space dedicated to banks’ information targeted at customers, investors, banks as potential registrants and financial regulators. The .banque gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for banks worldwide, representatives of regulatory bodies and professional associations wanting to develop a trusted relationship with their customers via the internet. Internet users will also benefit from an increased confidence in .banque, as registration and use of domain names under .banque require compliance with restrictive eligibility criteria set out in the registration policy.

GEXBAN SAS (GEXBAN) was especially created by six major French banks (BPCE, CAISSE CENTRALE DU CREDIT MUTUEL, BNP PARIBAS, LA BANQUE POSTALE, CREDIT AGRICOLE SA and SOCIETE GENERALE), representing more than 90% of the French domestic market, to apply for the creation of .banque and to become the naming authority for this gTLD.

GEXBAN’s application for .banque has the full support of the French Banking Federation (FBF), the professional body representing over 500 commercial, cooperative, and mutual banks operating in France (including both French and foreign-based organisations), with nearly 39,000 branches and over 380,000 employees and 73 million current accounts. Contacts have already been made with other French speaking banking communities worldwide.

The registration of second level domain names within .banque will be restricted and will only be available to two types of entities as prospective registrants: - A corporation that can avail itself of a banking status recognized by the financial regulatory authority of the country of its registered office - professional associations recognized by the banking industry as responsible for the representation of the collective matters of interest of the above mentioned licensed banks.

The aforementioned entities will only be able to register domain names within the .banque gTLD for uses directly linked to their banking activity. The criteria for registration are imposed to ensure that .banque is able to provide a trustworthy domain space in which customers can interact with the banking industry with confidence."