PAN (Permanent Account Number) (पैन (स्थायी खाता संख्या))
PAN is the Income Tax Department's ten-character identity number, mandatory in formal lending for KYC and reporting. No legitimate RBI-regulated lender can give you a loan without PAN — "loan without PAN" offers are a scam signal, not a shortcut.
Worked example
During KYC you enter a PAN like "ABCDE1234F" and it is verified against the tax database in seconds. Koi bhi legitimate lender bina PAN ke loan nahi deta — an app that skips PAN entirely should be reported, not celebrated.