Banking in India originated in the first decade of 18th century with The General Bank of India coming into existence in 1786. This was followed by Bank of Hindustan. Both these banks are now defunct. The oldest bank in existence in India is the State Bank of India being established as "The Bank of Bengal" in Calcutta in June 1806. A couple of decades later, foreign banks like Credit Lyonnais started their Calcutta operations in the 1850s. At that point of time, Calcutta was the most active trading port, mainly due to the trade of the British Empire, and due to which banking activity took roots there and prospered. The first fully Indian owned bank was the Allahabad Bank, which was established in 1865.
By the 1900s, the market expanded with the establishment of banks such as Punjab National Bank, in 1895 in Lahore and Bank of India, in 1906, in Mumbai - both of which were founded under private ownership. The Reserve Bank of India formally took on the responsibility of regulating the Indian banking sector from 1935. After India's independence in 1947, the Reserve Bank was nationalized and given broader
Early history
At the end of late-18th century, there were hardly any banks in India in the modern sense of the term. At the time of the American Civil War, a void was created as the supply of cotton to Lancashire stopped from the Americas. Some banks were opened at that time which functioned as entities to finance industry, including speculative trades in cotton. With large exposure to speculative ventures, most of the banks opened in India during that period could not survive and failed. The depositors lost money and lost interest in keeping deposits with banks. Subsequently, banking in India remained the exclusive domain of Europeans for next several decades until the beginning of the 20th century.At the beginning of the 20th century, Indian economy was passing through a relative period of stability. Around five decades have elapsed since the India's First war of Independence, and the social, industrial and other infrastructure have developed. At that time there were very small banks operated by Indians, and most of them were owned and operated by particular communities. The banking in India was controlled and dominated by the presidency banks, namely, the Bank of Bombay, the Bank of Bengal, and the Bank of Madras - which later on merged to form the Imperial Bank of India, and Imperial Bank of India, upon India's independence, was renamed the State Bank of India. There were also some exchange banks, as also a number of Indian joint stock banks. All these banks operated in different segments of the economy. The presidency banks were like the central banks and discharged most of the functions of central banks. They were established under charters from the British East India Company. The exchange banks, mostly owned by the Europeans, concentrated on financing of foreign trade. Indian joint stock banks were generally under capitalized and lacked the experience and maturity to compete with the presidency banks, and the exchange banks. There was potential for many new banks as the economy was growing. Lord Curzon had observed then in the context of Indian banking: "In respect of banking it seems we are behind the times. We are like some old fashioned sailing ship, divided by solid wooden bulkheads into separate and cumbersome compartments."
Under these circumstances, many Indians came forward to set up banks, and many banks were set up at that time, a number of which have survived to the present such as Bank of India and Corporation Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Canara Bank.
During the Wars
The period during the First World War (1914-1918) through the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), and two years thereafter until the independence of India were challenging for the Indian banking. The years of the First World War were turbulent, and it took toll of many banks which simply collapsed despite the Indian economy gaining indirect boost due to war-related economic activities. At least 94 banks in India failed during the years 1913 to 1918 as indicated in the following table:
Post-independence
The partition of India in 1947 had adversely impacted the economies of Punjab and West Bengal, and banking activities had remained paralyzed for months. India's independence marked the end of a regime of the Laissez-faire for the Indian banking. The Government of India initiated measures to play an active role in the economic life of the nation, and the Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1948 envisaged a mixed economy. This resulted into greater involvement of the state in different segments of the economy including banking and finance. The major steps to regulate banking included:
In 1948, the Reserve Bank of India, India's central banking authority, was nationalized, and it became an institution owned by the Government of India.
In 1949, the Banking Regulation Act was enacted which empowered the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) "to regulate, control, and inspect the banks in India."
The Banking Regulation Act also provided that no new bank or branch of an existing bank may be opened without a licence from the RBI, and no two banks could have common directors.
However, despite these provisions, control and regulations, banks in India except the State Bank of India, continued to be owned and operated by private persons. This changed with the nationalization of major banks in India on 19th July, 1969.
Nationalisation
By the 1960s, the Indian banking industry has become an important tool to facilitate the development of the Indian economy. At the same time, it has emerged as a large employer, and a debate has ensued about the possibility to nationalize the banking industry. Indira Gandhi, the-then Prime Minister of India expressed the intention of the GOI in the annual conference of the All India Congress Meeting in a paper entitled "Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalisation." The paper was received with positive enthusiasm. Thereafter, her move was swift and sudden, and the GOI issued an ordinance and nationalised the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969. Jayaprakash Narayan, a national leader of India, described the step as a "masterstroke of political sagacity." Within two weeks of the issue of the ordinance, the Parliament passed the Banking Companies (Acquition and Transfer of Undertaking) Bill, and it received the presidential approval on 9th August, 1969.
A second dose of nationalisation of 6 more commercial banks followed in 1980. The stated reason for the nationalisation was to give the government more control of credit delivery. With the second dose of nationalisation, the GOI controlled around 91% of the banking business of India.
After this, until the 1990s, the nationalised banks grew at a pace of around 4%, closer to the average growth rate of the Indian economy.
Liberalisation
In the early 1990s the then Narsimha Rao government embarked on a policy of liberalisation and gave licences to a small number of private banks, which came to be known as New Generation tech-savvy banks, which included banks such as Global Trust Bank (the first of such new generation banks to be set up)which later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce,UTI Bank(now re-named as Axis Bank), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. This move, along with the rapid growth in the economy of India, kickstarted the banking sector in India, which has seen rapid growth with strong contribution from all the three sectors of banks, namely, government banks, private banks and foreign banks.
The next stage for the Indian banking has been setup with the proposed relaxation in the norms for Foreign Direct Investment, where all Foreign Investors in banks may be given voting rights which could exceed the present cap of 10%,at present it has gone up to 49% with some restrictions.
The new policy shook the Banking sector in India completely. Bankers, till this time, were used to the 4-6-4 method (Borrow at 4%;Lend at 6%;Go home at 4) of functioning. The new wave ushered in a modern outlook and tech-savvy methods of working for traditional banks.All this led to the retail boom in India. People not just demanded more from their banks but also received more.
The partition of India in 1947 had adversely impacted the economies of Punjab and West Bengal, and banking activities had remained paralyzed for months. India's independence marked the end of a regime of the Laissez-faire for the Indian banking. The Government of India initiated measures to play an active role in the economic life of the nation, and the Industrial Policy Resolution adopted by the government in 1948 envisaged a mixed economy. This resulted into greater involvement of the state in different segments of the economy including banking and finance. The major steps to regulate banking included:
In 1948, the Reserve Bank of India, India's central banking authority, was nationalized, and it became an institution owned by the Government of India.
In 1949, the Banking Regulation Act was enacted which empowered the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) "to regulate, control, and inspect the banks in India."
The Banking Regulation Act also provided that no new bank or branch of an existing bank may be opened without a licence from the RBI, and no two banks could have common directors.
However, despite these provisions, control and regulations, banks in India except the State Bank of India, continued to be owned and operated by private persons. This changed with the nationalization of major banks in India on 19th July, 1969.
Nationalisation
By the 1960s, the Indian banking industry has become an important tool to facilitate the development of the Indian economy. At the same time, it has emerged as a large employer, and a debate has ensued about the possibility to nationalize the banking industry. Indira Gandhi, the-then Prime Minister of India expressed the intention of the GOI in the annual conference of the All India Congress Meeting in a paper entitled "Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalisation." The paper was received with positive enthusiasm. Thereafter, her move was swift and sudden, and the GOI issued an ordinance and nationalised the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969. Jayaprakash Narayan, a national leader of India, described the step as a "masterstroke of political sagacity." Within two weeks of the issue of the ordinance, the Parliament passed the Banking Companies (Acquition and Transfer of Undertaking) Bill, and it received the presidential approval on 9th August, 1969.
A second dose of nationalisation of 6 more commercial banks followed in 1980. The stated reason for the nationalisation was to give the government more control of credit delivery. With the second dose of nationalisation, the GOI controlled around 91% of the banking business of India.
After this, until the 1990s, the nationalised banks grew at a pace of around 4%, closer to the average growth rate of the Indian economy.
Liberalisation
In the early 1990s the then Narsimha Rao government embarked on a policy of liberalisation and gave licences to a small number of private banks, which came to be known as New Generation tech-savvy banks, which included banks such as Global Trust Bank (the first of such new generation banks to be set up)which later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce,UTI Bank(now re-named as Axis Bank), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. This move, along with the rapid growth in the economy of India, kickstarted the banking sector in India, which has seen rapid growth with strong contribution from all the three sectors of banks, namely, government banks, private banks and foreign banks.
The next stage for the Indian banking has been setup with the proposed relaxation in the norms for Foreign Direct Investment, where all Foreign Investors in banks may be given voting rights which could exceed the present cap of 10%,at present it has gone up to 49% with some restrictions.
The new policy shook the Banking sector in India completely. Bankers, till this time, were used to the 4-6-4 method (Borrow at 4%;Lend at 6%;Go home at 4) of functioning. The new wave ushered in a modern outlook and tech-savvy methods of working for traditional banks.All this led to the retail boom in India. People not just demanded more from their banks but also received more.
Current situation
Currently (2007), banking in India is generally fairly mature in terms of supply, product range and reach-even though reach in rural India still remains a challenge for the private sector and foreign banks. In terms of quality of assets and capital adequacy, Indian banks are considered to have clean, strong and transparent balance sheets relative to other banks in comparable economies in its region. The Reserve Bank of India is an autonomous body, with minimal pressure from the government. The stated policy of the Bank on the Indian Rupee is to manage volatility but without any fixed exchange rate-and this has mostly been true.
With the growth in the Indian economy expected to be strong for quite some time-especially in its services sector-the demand for banking services, especially retail banking, mortgages and investment services are expected to be strong. One may also expect M&As, takeovers, and asset sales.
In March 2006, the Reserve Bank of India allowed Warburg Pincus to increase its stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank (a private sector bank) to 10%. This is the first time an investor has been allowed to hold more than 5% in a private sector bank since the RBI announced norms in 2005 that any stake exceeding 5% in the private sector banks would need to be vetted by them.
Currently, India has 88 scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) - 28 public sector banks (that is with the Government of India holding a stake), 29 private banks (these do not have government stake; they may be publicly listed and traded on stock exchanges) and 31 foreign banks. They have a combined network of over 53,000 branches and 17,000 ATMs. According to a report by ICRA Limited, a rating agency, the public sector banks hold over 75 percent of total assets of the banking industry, with the private and foreign banks holding 18.2% and 6.5% respectively.
Currently (2007), banking in India is generally fairly mature in terms of supply, product range and reach-even though reach in rural India still remains a challenge for the private sector and foreign banks. In terms of quality of assets and capital adequacy, Indian banks are considered to have clean, strong and transparent balance sheets relative to other banks in comparable economies in its region. The Reserve Bank of India is an autonomous body, with minimal pressure from the government. The stated policy of the Bank on the Indian Rupee is to manage volatility but without any fixed exchange rate-and this has mostly been true.
With the growth in the Indian economy expected to be strong for quite some time-especially in its services sector-the demand for banking services, especially retail banking, mortgages and investment services are expected to be strong. One may also expect M&As, takeovers, and asset sales.
In March 2006, the Reserve Bank of India allowed Warburg Pincus to increase its stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank (a private sector bank) to 10%. This is the first time an investor has been allowed to hold more than 5% in a private sector bank since the RBI announced norms in 2005 that any stake exceeding 5% in the private sector banks would need to be vetted by them.
Currently, India has 88 scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) - 28 public sector banks (that is with the Government of India holding a stake), 29 private banks (these do not have government stake; they may be publicly listed and traded on stock exchanges) and 31 foreign banks. They have a combined network of over 53,000 branches and 17,000 ATMs. According to a report by ICRA Limited, a rating agency, the public sector banks hold over 75 percent of total assets of the banking industry, with the private and foreign banks holding 18.2% and 6.5% respectively.
State Bank of India
In recent years the bank has focused on four priorities, first, reducing its huge staff through the Golden handshake scheme known as the Voluntary Retirement Scheme, second, computerizing its operations, third, implementation of Business Process Re-Engineering(BPR), and fourth, trying to change the rude attitude of its staff through a program aptly named 'Parivartan' or 'change'. On the whole, the Bank has been successful in the first three initiatives but has failed in Parivartan.
History
1806: On June 2, the Bank of Calcutta was established.
1809: On January 2, the Bank of Calcutta changed its name to the Bank of Bengal.
1840: On April 15, the Bank of Bombay was established.
1843: On July 1, the Bank of Madras was established.
These three banks — Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, and Bank of Madras — were known as Presidency banks, were the result of royal charters, and were incorporated as joint stock companies.
1861: The government passed the Paper Currency Act, limiting the right to issue paper currency to the three Presidency banks, .
1921: On January 27, the government amalgamated the three Presidency banks to form the Imperial Bank of India. The Imperial Bank of India continued as a joint stock company. Until the establishment of a central bank in India, the Imperial Bank and its early predecessors served as India's central bank, at least with respect to the issuing of currency.
1955: On 30 April, the Parliament of India enacted the State Bank of India Act authorizing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is the central bank, to acquire a controlling interest in the Imperial Bank of India. The RBI then took a 60% ownership stake. On July 1, Imperial Bank of India became State Bank of India.
1959: the Government of India passed the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, which enabled SBI to take over eight former State-associated banks as its subsidiaries.
1980s When Bank of Cochin in Kerala faced a financial crisis, the government merged it with State Bank of India.
2007: On June 29, the Government of India acquired the entire Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shareholding in State Bank of India (SBI), consisting of over 314 million equity shares, with a market value of over 355 billion rupees.
2008: 9 March 2008 State Bank of India on Sunday became the second bank in the world to have 10,000 branches when Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram inaugurated its latest branch at his native place Puduvayal
1806: On June 2, the Bank of Calcutta was established.
1809: On January 2, the Bank of Calcutta changed its name to the Bank of Bengal.
1840: On April 15, the Bank of Bombay was established.
1843: On July 1, the Bank of Madras was established.
These three banks — Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, and Bank of Madras — were known as Presidency banks, were the result of royal charters, and were incorporated as joint stock companies.
1861: The government passed the Paper Currency Act, limiting the right to issue paper currency to the three Presidency banks, .
1921: On January 27, the government amalgamated the three Presidency banks to form the Imperial Bank of India. The Imperial Bank of India continued as a joint stock company. Until the establishment of a central bank in India, the Imperial Bank and its early predecessors served as India's central bank, at least with respect to the issuing of currency.
1955: On 30 April, the Parliament of India enacted the State Bank of India Act authorizing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is the central bank, to acquire a controlling interest in the Imperial Bank of India. The RBI then took a 60% ownership stake. On July 1, Imperial Bank of India became State Bank of India.
1959: the Government of India passed the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, which enabled SBI to take over eight former State-associated banks as its subsidiaries.
1980s When Bank of Cochin in Kerala faced a financial crisis, the government merged it with State Bank of India.
2007: On June 29, the Government of India acquired the entire Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shareholding in State Bank of India (SBI), consisting of over 314 million equity shares, with a market value of over 355 billion rupees.
2008: 9 March 2008 State Bank of India on Sunday became the second bank in the world to have 10,000 branches when Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram inaugurated its latest branch at his native place Puduvayal
Associate banks
There are seven other associate banks that fall under SBI. They all use the "State Bank of" name followed by the regional headquarters' name. These were originally banks belonging to princely states before the government nationalized them in 1959. In tune with the first Five Year Plan, emphasizing the development of rural India, the government integrated these banks with the State Bank of India to expand its rural outreach. The State Bank group refers to the seven associates and the parent bank. All the banks use the same logo of a blue keyhole. Currently, the group is merging all the associate banks into SBI, which will create a "mega bank", and one hopes, streamline operations and unlock value.
State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur
State Bank of Hyderabad
State Bank of Indore
State Bank of Mysore
State Bank of Patiala
State Bank of Saurashtra
State Bank of Travancore
There are seven other associate banks that fall under SBI. They all use the "State Bank of" name followed by the regional headquarters' name. These were originally banks belonging to princely states before the government nationalized them in 1959. In tune with the first Five Year Plan, emphasizing the development of rural India, the government integrated these banks with the State Bank of India to expand its rural outreach. The State Bank group refers to the seven associates and the parent bank. All the banks use the same logo of a blue keyhole. Currently, the group is merging all the associate banks into SBI, which will create a "mega bank", and one hopes, streamline operations and unlock value.
State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur
State Bank of Hyderabad
State Bank of Indore
State Bank of Mysore
State Bank of Patiala
State Bank of Saurashtra
State Bank of Travancore
Foreign Offices
State Bank of India is present in 32 countries, where it has 84 offices serving the international needs of the bank's foreign customers, and in some cases conducts retail operations. The focus of these offices is India-related business.
Foreign Branches
Foreign Branches
The Israeli branch
Australia
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Canada
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Israel
Japan
People's Republic of China
Republic of Maldives
Singapore
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Sultanate of Oman
The Bahamas
United Arab Emirates
U.K.
U.S.A
Australia
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Canada
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Israel
Japan
People's Republic of China
Republic of Maldives
Singapore
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Sultanate of Oman
The Bahamas
United Arab Emirates
U.K.
U.S.A
Subsidiaries and Joint Ventures
In addition to the foreign branches above, SBI has these wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures:
Nepal State Bank Limited is an Indo-Nepalese joint venture between State Bank of India, the Employees Provident Fund, and the Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal. It commenced operations on July 7, 1993, and now has 21 branches throughout Nepal.
SBI Mauritius is an offshore bank, incorporated in 1990.
Indian Ocean International Bank (Mauritius) has been operating in Mauritius since 1978. SBI acquired a majority stake in the bank in April 2005. The bank is is a commercial bank with 11 branches in major cities/towns in Mauritius, including Rodrigues.
SBI Canada has been operating for more than a decade and has a number of branches in the Toronto and Vancouver areas.
State Bank of India established SBI California in 1982. The bank has six branches within the state.
Nepal State Bank Limited is an Indo-Nepalese joint venture between State Bank of India, the Employees Provident Fund, and the Agricultural Development Bank of Nepal. It commenced operations on July 7, 1993, and now has 21 branches throughout Nepal.
SBI Mauritius is an offshore bank, incorporated in 1990.
Indian Ocean International Bank (Mauritius) has been operating in Mauritius since 1978. SBI acquired a majority stake in the bank in April 2005. The bank is is a commercial bank with 11 branches in major cities/towns in Mauritius, including Rodrigues.
SBI Canada has been operating for more than a decade and has a number of branches in the Toronto and Vancouver areas.
State Bank of India established SBI California in 1982. The bank has six branches within the state.
Growth
State Bank of India has often acted as guarantor to the Indian Government, most notably during Chandra Shekhar's tenure as Prime Minister of India. With 10,000 branches[1] and a further 4000+ associate bank branches, the SBI has extensive coverage. Following its arch-rival ICICI Bank, State Bank of India has electronically networked most of its metropolitan, urban and semi-urban branches under its Core Banking System(CBS), with over 4500 branches being incorporated so far. The bank has the largest ATM network in the country having more than 5600 ATMs[2]. The State Bank of India has had steady growth over its history, though the Harshad Mehta scam in 1992 marred its image.
In recent years, the bank has sought to expand its overseas operations by buying foreign banks. It is the only Indian bank to feature in the top 100 world banks in the Fortune Global 500 rating and various other rankings. According to the Forbes 2000 listing it tops all Indian companies.
Fortune Global 500 Ranking - 2007
In recent years, the bank has sought to expand its overseas operations by buying foreign banks. It is the only Indian bank to feature in the top 100 world banks in the Fortune Global 500 rating and various other rankings. According to the Forbes 2000 listing it tops all Indian companies.
Fortune Global 500 Ranking - 2007
SBI debuted in the Fortune Global 500[3] at 498 in 2006. In 2007 it moved up to 495. As per fortune 500-2007 following are the data for SBI in $ million.
Revenues 15,119.4.
Profits 1,407.3.
Assets 187,547.1.
Stockholders' Equity 9,786.2
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