Evolution of Commercial Banks in India

The commercial banking industry in India started in 1786 with the establishment of the Bank of Bengal in Calcutta.

British India at the time established three Presidency banks, namely,

1. Bank of Bengal (established in 1809)
2. Bank of Bombay (established in 1840)
3. Bank of Madras (established in 1843)

In 1921, the three Presidency banks were amalgamated to form the Imperial Bank of India, which took up the role of a commercial bank, a bankers’ bank and a banker to the Government. The Imperial Bank of India was established mainly with European shareholders. After the establishment of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the central bank of the country in 1935, the role of the Imperial Bank of India came to an end.

In 1865, the Allahabad Bank was established purely by Indian shareholders. Punjab National Bank came into being in 1895. Between 1906 and 1913, other banks like Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, and Bank of Mysore were set up.

After independence, the Government of India started taking steps to encourage the spread of banking in India. In order to serve the economy in general and the rural sector in particular, the All India Rural Credit Survey Committee recommended the creation of a state-partnered and state-sponsored bank taking over the Imperial Bank of India and integrating with it, the former state-owned and state associate banks. Accordingly, State Bank of India (SBI) was constituted in 1955. Subsequently, in 1959, the State Bank of India (subsidiary bank) Act was passed, enabling the SBI to take over eight former state-associate banks as its subsidiaries.

To better align the banking system to the needs of planning and economic policy, it was considered necessary to have social control over banks. In 1969, 14 of the major private sector banks were nationalised. This was an important milestone in the history of Indian banking. This was followed by the nationalisation of another six private banks in 1980. With the nationalisation of these banks, the major segment of the banking sector came under the control of the Government. The nationalisation of banks boost to branch expansion in rural and semi-urban areas, which in turn resulted in huge deposit , thereby giving a boost to the overall savings rate of the economy. It also resulted in scaling up of lending to agriculture and its allied sectors.

To create a strong and competitive banking system, a number of reform measures were initiated in the early 1990s. The thrust of the reforms was on increasing operational efficiency, strengthening supervision over banks, creating competitive conditions and developing technological and institutional infrastructure. These measures led to the improvement in the financial health, soundness and efficiency of the banking system.

One important feature of the reforms of the 1990s was that the entry of new private sector banks was permitted. Following this decision, new banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank (public bank) and UTI Bank (now Axis Bank) were set up.

Also read: List of Insurance Companies in India

Commercial banks in India have traditionally focused on meeting the short-term financial needs of industry, trade and agriculture. However, the increasing diversification of the Indian economy, the range of services extended by commercial banks.

Currently, commercial banks in India are categorised into five different groups according to their ownership and/or nature of operation:

1. State Bank of India and its Associates
2. Nationalised Banks
3. Private Sector Banks
4. Foreign Banks
5. Regional Rural Banks

Complete List of Banks in India (as of 2017)

Nationalised Banks

1. Allahabad Bank
2. Andhra Bank
3. Bank of India
4. Bank of Baroda
5. Bank of Maharashtra
6. Canara Bank
7. Central Bank of India
8. Corporation Bank
9. Dena Bank
10. Indian Bank
11. Indian Overseas Bank
12. IDBI Bank
13. Oriental Bank of Commerce
14. Punjab & Sindh Bank
15. Punjab National Bank
16. Syndicate Bank
17. UCO Bank
18. Union Bank of India
19. United Bank of India
20. Vijaya Bank
21. Bhartiya Mahila Bank

Private-sector banks

1. Axis bank
2. Bandhan Bank
3. Fedaral Bank
4. HDFC Bank
5. ICICI Bank
6. IDFC Bank
7. IndusInd Bank
8. Jammu and Kashmir Bank
9. Karnataka Bank
10. Karur Vysya Bank
11. Kotak Mahindra Bank
12. Lakshmi Vilas Bank
13. Nainital Bank
14. RBL Bank
15. South Indian Bank
16. Tamilnadu Mercantile Bank Limited
17. Yes Bank
18. Equitas Small Finance Bank
19. Capital Small Finance Bank
20. Coastal Local Area Bank
21. Krishna Bhima Samruddhi Local Area Bank
22. Subhadra Local Area Bank
23. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
24. Fincare Small Finance Bank
25. Vijaya Bank
26. DCB Bank

Payments Bank

1. Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank
2. Airtel Payments Bank
3. India Post Payments Bank
4. Jio Payments Bank
5. Paytm Payments Bank

Foreign banks with branches in India

Australian banks
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
National Australia Bank
Westpac Banking Corporation

Bahraini banks
Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait

Bangladeshi banks
AB Bank
Sonali Bank

Belgian bank
Antwerp Diamond Bank

Canadian bank
Bank of Nova Scotia

Chinese bank
Industrial & Commercial
Bank of China

French banks
BNP Paribas
Credit Agricole
Societe Generale

German banks
Deutsche Bank

Indonesian bank
Bank Internasional Indonesia

Japanese banks
Mizuho Corporate Bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi

Mauritian bank
State Bank of Mauritius

Dutch bank
Rabobank

Qatari bank
Doha bank

Russian banks
Sberbank
VTB

Omani bank
HSBC Bank Oman

Singaporean banks
DBS Bank
United Overseas Bank

South African bank
FirstRand Bank

South Korean banks
Shinhan Bank
Woori Bank

Sri Lankan bank
Bank of Ceylon

Swiss banks
Credit Suisse
UBS AG

Taiwanese bank
Chinatrust Commercial Bank

Thai bank
Krung Thai Bank

UAE banks
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
Mashreq Bank

UK banks
HSBC
Barclays Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
Royal Bank of Scotland

US banks
American Express
Bank of America
Citibank
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank

Regional Rural Banks

Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank
Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank
Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank
Saptagiri Grameena Bank

Assam
Assam Gramin Vikash Bank
Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank

Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank

Bihar
Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank
Madhya Bihar Gramin Bank
Bihar Gramin Bank

Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh Rajya Gramin Bank

Gujarat
Dena Gujarat Gramin Bank
Baroda Gujarat Gramin Bank
Saurashtra Gramin Bank

Haryana
Sarva Haryana Gramin Bank

Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank

Jharkhand
Jharkhand Gramin Bank
Vananchal Gramin Bank

Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu And Kashmir Grameen Bank
Ellaquai Dehati Bank

Karnataka
Kaveri Grameena Bank
Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank
Pragathi Krishna Gramin Bank

Kerala
Kerala Gramin Bank

Madhya Pradesh
Narmada Jhabua Gramin Bank
Central Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank
Madhyanchal Gramin Bank

Maharashtra
Maharashtra Gramin Bank
Vidarbha Kokan Gramin Bank

Manipur
Manipur Rural Bank

Meghalaya
Meghalaya Rural Bank

Mizoram
Mizoram Rural Bank

Nagaland
Nagaland Rural Bank

Odisha
Odisha Gramya Bank
Odisha State Co-Operative Bank Ltd.
Utkal Grameen Bank
Rushikulya Gramya Bank

Punjab
Punjab Gramin Bank
Malwa Gramin Bank
Sutlej Gramin Bank

Puducherry
Puduvai Bharathiar Grama Bank

Rajasthan
Baroda Rajasthan Kshetriya Gramin Bank
Marudhara Rajasthan Gramin Bank

Tamil Nadu
Pandyan Grama Bank
Pallavan Grama Bank

Telangana
Telangana Grameena Bank

Tripura
Tripura Gramin Bank

Uttar Pradesh
Sarva UP Gramin Bank
Prathama Bank
Allahabad UP Gramin Bank
Baroda UP Gramin Bank
Gramin Bank Of Aryavrat
Kashi Gomti Samyukt Gramin Bank

Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Gramin Bank

West Bengal
Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank
Paschim Banga Gramin Bank
Uttarbanga Kshetriya Gramin Bank

Co-operative banks

State Co-operative Banks

1. Andaman and Nicobar State Co-operative Bank
2. Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Bank
3. Arunachal Pradesh State Co-operative Apex Bank
4. Assam Co-operative Apex Bank
5. Bihar State Co-operative Bank
6. Bharat Co-operative Bank
7. Chandigarh State Co-operative Bank
8. Chhattisgarh Rajya Sahakari Bank Maryadit
9. Delhi State Co-operative Bank
10. Goa State Co-operative Bank
11. Gujarat State Co-operative Bank
12. Gujarat State Co-operative Agriculture & Rural Development Bank
13. Haryana State Co-operative Apex Bank
14. Himachal Pradesh State Co-operative Bank
15. Jammu and Kashmir State Co-operative Bank
16. Jharkhand State Co-operative Bank
17. Karnataka State Co-operative Apex Bank
18. Kerala State Co-operative Bank
19. Madhya Pradesh Rajya Sahakari Bank Maryadit
20. Mogaveera Co-operative Bank
21. Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank
22. Manipur State Co-operative Bank
23. Meghalaya Co-operative Apex Bank
24. Mizoram Co-operative Apex Bank
25. Nagaland State Co-operative Bank
26. Orissa State Co-operative Bank
27. Pondichery State Co-operative Bank
28. Punjab State Co-operative Bank
29. Rajasthan State Co-operative Bank
30. Sikkim State Co-operative Bank
31. The Rajkot Commercial Co-Operative Bank Ltd
32. The Tamil Nadu State Apex Co-operative Bank
33. Telangana State Co-Operative Apex Bank Limited
34. Tripura State Co-operative Bank
35. Uttar Pradesh Co-operative Bank
36. Uttarakhand State Co-operative Bank
37. West Bengal State Co-operative Bank
38. Tumkur Grain Merchant’s Co-operative Bank
39. Nagpur Nagrik Sahakari Bank Limited
40. Tumkur Veerashaiva Co-operative Bank Limited

Urban Co-operative Banks

1. Apna Sahakari Co-Op Bank Ltd
2. Ahmedabad Mercantile Co-Op Bank
3. Kalupur Commercial Coop. Bank
4. Mehsana Urban Co-Op Bank
5. Nutan Nagarik Sahakari Bank
6. Rajkot Nagrik Sahakari Bank
7. Sardar Bhiladwala Pardi Peoples Coop Bank
8. Surat Peoples Coop Bank
9. Rajdhani Nagar Sahkari Bank
10. Adhyapaka Urban Co-operative Bank
11. Andhra Pradesh Mahesh Co-Op Urban Bank
12. Indian Mercantile Co-operative Bank
13. Abhyudaya Co-operative Bank
14. Bassein Catholic Co-operative Bank
15. Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai)
16. Bharati Sahakari Bank
17. Bombay Mercantile Co-operative Bank
18. Citizencredit Co-operative Bank
19. Cosmos Co-operative Urban Bank
20. Dombivli Nagari Sahakari Bank
21. Goa Urban Co-operative Bank
22. Gopinath Patil Parsik Janata Sahakari Bank
23. Greater Bombay Co-operative Bank
24. Jalgaon Janata Sahakari Bank
25. Janakalyan Sahakari Bank
26. Janalaxmi Co-operative Bank
27. Janata Sahakari Bank
28. Junagadh Commercial Co-operative Bank
29. Kallappanna Awade Ichalkaranji Janata Sahakari Bank
30. Kalyan Janata Sahakari Bank
31. Karad Urban Co-operative Bank
32. Mahanagar Co-operative Bank
33. Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank of Goa
34. Nagar Urban Co-operative Bank
35. Nasik Merchant’s Co-operative Bank
36. New India Co-operative Bank
37. NKGSB Co-operative Bank
38. Pravara Sahakari Bank
39. Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative Bank
40. Rupee Co-operative Bank
41. Sangli Urban Co-operative Bank
42. Saraswat Co-operative Bank
43. Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank
44. Solapur Janata Sahakari Bank
45. Thane Bharat Sahakari Bank
46. The Kapole Co-operative Bank
47. TJSB Sahakari Bank
48. Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank
49. Nagpur Nagrik Sahakari Bank
50. Shikshak Sahakari Bank
51. Akola Janata Commercial Co-operative Bank
52. Akola Urban Co-operative Bank
53. Khamgaon Urban Co-operative Bank
54. Muneshwra swamy BANK
55. Eenadu Urban Co operative Bank
56. Rohit Kataria Co-operative Bank
57. Dakshin Barasat Service Co-Operative Society Private Limited
58. Barasat, Kolkata
59. Sangli District Primary Teachers Bank Ltd, Sangli
60. Chartered Mercantile M.B. Ltd, Lucknow, U.P.
61. Lic of india staff co operative bank.
62. Ahand Anand Co-Op Bank
63. Varchha Co-op Bank
64. The Surat District Co-Op Bank Ltd
65. The Sutex Co-op. bank Ltd.
66. The Bardoli Nagarik Sahakari Bank Ltd

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