Official tool guide
How to check if a loan app is linked to an RBI-regulated lender
RBI publishes the loan apps that banks and NBFCs say they use. How to search it, what a listing does and does not mean, and the rights every borrower has.
AI-generated illustration by CyberShitty. Not a photograph or a document from the organisations named.
Since 1 July 2025 the Reserve Bank of India has published a directory of the digital lending apps and websites that regulated lenders (banks, NBFCs and others) have reported to it. Each entry shows the lender, the app, where it is available, and the lender's grievance officer.
Illegal loan apps often claim to be tied to a well-known NBFC. The directory lets you check that claim before you install anything or share your documents. Google Play also requires personal loan apps in India to appear on this list.
Use it when
- Before installing or borrowing from any loan app or lending website.
- An app says it lends on behalf of a bank or NBFC and you want to confirm it.
- You need the lender's grievance officer to complain about an app you already use.
Not the right tool when
- Complaints: the directory is only a list. Complain to the lender first, then to the RBI Ombudsman.
- Harassment, threats or morphed photos from a loan app: report on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.
Keep this ready
- The app's exact name and developer as shown in the app store
- The name of the bank or NBFC the app claims to lend for
Step by step
- On rbi.org.in, open the link "DLA's deployed by Regulated Entities" (the button below goes straight to the directory).
- The directory opens as a long table split across pages. Use the filter bar, or your browser's find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) on each page, to search for the app name.
- Compare the store link in the directory with the app you have. The same app can appear several times, once per platform and once per partner lender.
- Check that the lender named inside the app matches the entity name in the directory.
- Note the grievance officer's contact details from the entry in case you need to complain.
What happens next
- Listed: a regulated lender has reported this app to RBI. Complain to that lender's grievance officer first. If there is no reply in 30 days, or you are not satisfied, you can go to the RBI Ombudsman.
- Not listed: no regulated lender has reported it. Treat it as a serious warning and do not borrow or share documents through it.
- Being harassed by an app: keep screenshots, report at cybercrime.gov.in or 1930, and you can also report it on RBI's Sachet portal.
Know the limits
- The list is self-reported by lenders. RBI publishes it as filed and does not verify it.
- A listing is not RBI approval or endorsement, and apps are not allowed to advertise it as such.
- Your rights under RBI's digital lending rules: a Key Fact Statement before you sign; the loan paid straight into your own bank account; a cooling-off period of at least one day to exit by repaying principal and proportionate interest; no automatic increase in your credit limit; a named grievance officer; and no access to your contacts, photos, files or call logs. Camera, microphone or location may be used only once for KYC, with your consent.
Numbers to know
- Harassment or fraud by a loan app: 1930
When you are ready, the official site
Open RBI's loan app directoryRelated guides
- Harassed by a loan app? How to check a lender first, and where to complain in India
- How to get money back after cyber fraud: the real routes, the odds and 'recovery' scams