IDRBT CA started its operations in August 2002 and at around same time SFMS became operational. During the initial stages when SFMS certificates were to be issued it was decided that SFMS Users will require a Class 1 Signing certificate and SFMS Servers will require Class 2 Signing and Encryption certificates.

Subsequently, RBI during the launch of RTGS, initiated internal policy guidelines, which recommended that users should have a Class 2 certificate for initiating a financial transaction and Severs to use Class 3 certificates. Accordingly, RBI has instructed Banks/FIs to take Class 3 certificates for PDO NDS, RTGS Servers and Class 2 certificates for RTGS user.

In the process, a user operating both in SFMS and RTGS has to possess two different certificates one for RTGS and another for SFMS and two different server certificates though both the applications would have been installed in the same server. To avoid the complexity in operations and multiplicity in maintenance of certificates, IDRBT intends to streamline the same without disrupting the presently running applications and implement the policy of class 2 certificate for individual users/Online/Offline servers and Class 3 certificates for Gateway Servers for SFMS too.

In view of the above, you may continue to use existing SFMS certificates till their expiry. During the renewal of certificates, you may kindly note to apply for class 2 signing certificate incase of SFMS user/Signing and Encryption for Online/Offline Servers and Class 3 certificates for the Gateway Server.

IDRBT will ensure a smooth transition from Class 1 certificate to Class 2 certificate for SFMS users and Online/Offline servers and from Class 2 certificate to Class 3 certificate for SFMS Gateway server.