Trademark Class 36: Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Services

Indian finance and property markets are highly regulated and competitive. Fraudsters, copycats, and close-sounding imitators routinely use unregistered names or offer false services. A registered trademark in Class 36:

• Gives you the exclusive right to use your name/logo for covered services
• Allows rapid legal action if a rival misuses your mark
• Shows customers, partners, and regulators that you are authentic and credible
• Is a prerequisite for lending, insurance, and property partners (especially in B2B/fintech)
• Builds trust for digital (app/web) launches and future expansion

Class 36 is one of the most comprehensive service categories. Here’s a practical list of what’s protected:

Financial Affairs & Banking

• Banking and online banking services
• Credit card, debit card, and payment gateway services
• Fund transfer and mobile wallet platforms
• Loans, advances, and hire-purchase financing
• Investment advisory, capital investment, and portfolio management
• Mutual fund management, deposit collection, and pension funds
• Factoring, credit bureaux, credit evaluation, and scoring
• ATM, cheque, and electronic payment systems
• Wealth management, asset handling, financial sponsorship

Insurance Services

• Life, health, accident, fire, and marine insurance
• Services by insurance companies, agents, and brokers
• Insurance underwriting and risk assessment
• Insurance claim facilitation and insurance consultancy

Real Estate Affairs

• Real estate agencies and brokerage
• Property management, renting, and leasing (residential, commercial, industrial)
• Real estate appraisal and valuation
• Building/complex management and rent collection
• Real estate investment and property fund management

Related Appraisal & Valuation

• Appraisal of jewellery, precious stones, antiques, and collectibles
• Numismatic and art valuation

Other Monetary Services

• Charity fundraising, trust administration, provident funds
• Securities trading, brokerage (stocks, commodities, bonds)
• Money exchange, clearing-house, pawnbrokerage
• Debt recovery, collection agencies, and financial consultancy
• Customs brokerage, duty payments, guarantee and bail services
• Leasing of vehicles, offices, and farms (as financial transactions)

Expanded List (Selected Examples):

• Accident insurance underwriting
• Actuarial and risk analytics
• Art and antique appraisal
• Lease-purchase financing
• Business liquidation (financial aspects)
• Guarantee, surety, and bail-bonding
• Customs and freight brokerage
• Stamp and precious metal appraisal
• Organization of collections (debt/asset recovery)
• Financial information and evaluation via web.
• accident insurance underwriting
• accommodation bureaux [apartments]
• actuarial services
• antique appraisal
• apartment house management
• rental of apartments
• art appraisal
• banking
• brokerage*
• brokerage of carbon credits
• business liquidation services, financial
• capital investment
• charitable fund raising
• check [cheque] verification
• clearing, financial / clearing-houses, financial
• credit bureaux
• credit card services
• issuance of credit cards
• customs brokerage
• debit card services
• debt collection agencies
• debt advisory services
• deposits of valuables
• electronic funds transfer
• exchanging money
• factoring
• arranging finance for construction projects
• financial evaluation [insurance, banking, real estate]
• financial management
• financial analysis
• financial consultancy
• financial information
• financial sponsorship
• financial evaluation of standing timber / financial valuation of standing timber
• financial evaluation of wool / financial valuation of wool
• providing financial information via a web site
• financial management of reimbursement payments for others
• financing services
• fire insurance underwriting
• fiscal assessments / fiscal valuations
• health insurance underwriting
• hire-purchase financing / lease-purchase financing
• instalment loans
• insurance brokerage
• insurance underwriting
• insurance consultancy
• insurance information
• investment of funds
• jewellery [jewelry (Am.)] appraisal / jewellery appraisal / jewelry appraisal
• leasing of real estate
• leasing of farms
• lending against security
• life insurance underwriting
• loans [financing]
• marine insurance underwriting
• mortgage banking
• mutual funds
• numismatic appraisal
• rental of offices [real estate]
• online banking
• organization of collections
• pawnbrokerage
• provident fund services
• real estate agencies
• real estate brokerage
• real estate appraisal
• real estate management
• rent collection
• repair costs evaluation [financial appraisal]
• retirement payment services
• safe deposit services
• savings bank services
• securities brokerage
• stamp appraisal
• stock exchange quotations
• stock brokerage services
• stocks and bonds brokerage
• surety services / bail-bonding / guarantees
• issuance of tokens of value
• issuance of travellers’ cheques / issuance of travelers’ checks
• trusteeship / fiduciary
•  

• The manufacture or direct sale of financial products (e.g., selling gold coins)—use the correct product class
• Legal, tax, auditing, or accountancy services (Class 45/35)
• Real estate construction, repairs, or maintenance (Class 37)
• Software development for financial tech (Class 42)
• Pure lending by private individuals without a platform or institution

If your business identity, logo, or product is used for:

• Banks, credit institutions, NBFCs, neo-banks
• Insurance companies, agents, brokers, aggregators
• Investment & mutual fund managers, wealth advisors
• Payment gateways, fintech platforms, digital wallets
• Real estate brokers, housing agencies, letting platforms, managed property services
• Money exchanges, currency transfer, forex traders
• Consultancies and marketplaces in finance or property sectors

You are REQUIRED to file for Class 36 if you want exclusive rights and legal protection in India.

Step 1: Run a comprehensive trademark search to ensure your brand name/logo is unique in the sector.

Step 2: Prepare key documents:

• Brand artwork/logo and brand description
• Service list (mention Class 36 and all covered services)
• Proof of business and applicant identity/address

Step 3: File TM-A application online (or offline via India’s trademark registry offices). List all relevant Class 36 services for full coverage.

Step 4: Respond promptly to any objections with a structured trademark objection reply.

Step 5: On acceptance, your mark will be published for public opposition, post which you’ll receive your registration certificate (valid for 10 years, renewable).

• HDFC Bank: Banking, lending, deposits, digital wallets
• LIC: Life and general insurance
• Bajaj Finserv: Loans, investments, insurance aggregation
• Policybazaar: Online insurance comparison and aggregation
• Paytm Money: Investment, fund management
• 99acres, NoBroker: Real estate brokerage and portal services

These major names ensure their brand is protected for their financial, insurance, or real estate service identities.

Every activity—loans, banking, property leasing, investment advice—must be described in your registration. “Banking and financial services” is too broad and may be objected to. For comprehensive protection:

• Use standard legal language (see: “banking”, “insurance agency”, “real estate appraisal”)
• Consult an expert or IP attorney for drafting.

• List each service precisely and inclusively.
• Register both brand name (wordmark) and logo (device mark).
• Monitor the trademark database for potential infringements.
• Renew on time—loss of registration can be catastrophic.
• Cross-list in other classes if you have overlapping business segments (tech, legal, tax).
• Keep all supporting material—ads, client agreements, and digital assets—for proof of use.
• Consider international registration via the Madrid Protocol for cross-border fintech or investment services.

• Filing in the wrong class (e.g., listing an insurance product brand in a tech/product class)
• Vague language (e.g., “financial services” alone)—always specify!
• Failing to keep proof of use, leading to loss in case of dispute
• Overlooking objection or opposition notices (must be replied to immediately)

With India’s finance and property sectors growing, and consumer trust ever more vital, registering your brand under Trademark Class 36 is not just a legal formality—it’s a strategic business decision. From fund transfers to insurance apps, brokerage to real estate listing portals, a Class 36 trademark builds trust, enables legal action, and strengthens every future expansion goal.

Start with a smart trademark search, complete your registration, and stay protected for the long haul. In a sector where trust is money, brand security is everything.