🏦 Nice Class 36: Insurance, Finance & Real Estate
The EUIPO register holds 200,414 trademarks in Class 36, the class for insurance, financial services and real estate (as of July 2026). (as of July 2026).
200,414
Marks in the EU register
109,871
Registered with the EUIPO
+13 %
Growth 2020–2024
52 %
Word mark share
Class 36 bundles three major fields of business: insurance, financial services such as banking, payments and asset management, and real estate. The EUIPO register holds 200,414 trademarks in Class 36, of which 109,871 are registered (as of July 2026, EUIPO register data). The class is growing noticeably: new registrations rose from 8,932 in 2020 to 10,104 in 2024, a 13 percent increase, with 9,915 added in 2025. At the top of the filer list sits Intesa Sanpaolo, a major Italian bank, with 1,183 trademarks. Second place, however, goes not to a bank but to Deutsche Telekom with 1,005 trademarks, ahead of Mastercard (486), BBVA (301) and Barclays (216). A telecoms group among the top filers of the finance class shows how much payment services and digital financial products now shape it. Word marks account for 52 percent of trademarks in Class 36, so the name is the central asset here.
What belongs in Class 36?
Class 36 covers services from three areas: insurance (insurance underwriting, consultancy and brokerage), financial affairs (banking, payments and digital payment services, lending, asset management and investment advice) and real estate (brokerage, property management, letting and leasing). One important distinction: the app or software itself belongs in Class 9, its development and operation as SaaS in Class 42, and construction work falls under Class 37. Class 36 protects the financial or real estate service, not the technology behind it.
Typical examples: Banking, payment services, insurance, real estate
New EUIPO registrations per year in Class 36
Most active applicants in Class 36
| # | Applicant | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intesa Sanpaolo Spa | 1,183 |
| 2 | Deutsche Telekom Ag | 1,005 |
| 3 | Mastercard International Incorporated | 486 |
| 4 | Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Sa | 301 |
| 5 | Barclays Plc | 216 |
| 6 | Banca Mediolanum Spa | 202 |
| 7 | Union Des Associations Européennes De Football (Uefa) | 200 |
| 8 | Bankinter Sa | 194 |
| 9 | American International Group Inc | 178 |
| 10 | Banco Santander Sa | 175 |
Word mark or figurative mark?
Often combined with
In practice, Class 36 is most often combined with Class 35 (advertising, business management, marketplace platforms), Class 42 (software development and SaaS) and Class 9 (apps and software), and for fintechs the trio of 36, 42 and 9 is close to standard. Pick a name that keeps its distance from the usual industry terms, which improves your chances of registration and lowers the collision risk. And search the register thoroughly before filing: Intesa Sanpaolo alone holds 1,183 trademarks in the class, and Deutsche Telekom and Mastercard maintain very large portfolios here too.
Common mistakes with Class 36
The classic fintech mistake: filing Class 36 alone. The banking app itself belongs in Class 9 and the software platform behind it in Class 42, so protecting only the financial service leaves the actual product exposed. The second mistake is the opposite: estate agents and financial advisers register their brand in Class 35 because it mentions business management, when brokerage, administration and advice around money and property actually sit in Class 36. Third, many names fail on distinctiveness: terms like capital, invest or estate are everywhere in this industry and descriptive, and purely descriptive signs do not get registered. The fact that 52 percent of trademarks in Class 36 are word marks underlines how much rides on the name.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What belongs in Nice Class 36?
Class 36 covers insurance, financial services and real estate: insurance and its brokerage, banking, payments and investment advice, plus property brokerage, property management and letting. The related app or software belongs in Classes 9 and 42 instead.
Why does Deutsche Telekom file so many trademarks in Class 36?
According to EUIPO register data (as of July 2026), Deutsche Telekom ranks second in the class with 1,005 trademarks, right behind major Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo (1,183) and ahead of Mastercard (486). Class 36 is no longer claimed by banks alone, but also by groups offering payment, billing and financing services.
Is Class 36 enough for my fintech?
Usually not. Class 36 protects the financial service itself, but your app belongs in Class 9 and the software platform or SaaS development in Class 42. That is why fintechs typically file the combination of 36, 42 and 9.
Do I need a trademark in Class 36 as an estate agent?
Yes, property brokerage, property management and letting belong in Class 36, not in Class 35 or 37. Class 37 covers construction work, Class 35 advertising and business management. If you also run a listings platform, you often add Classes 35 and 42.
Sources
EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office: register data on EU trade marks and international registrations with EU protection, as of July 2026.
WIPO – Nice Classification: class definitions and headings (11th edition).
Methodology: own analysis by markencheck.ai; counted per filing entity, name variants merged.
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