Initially all the banks in India were private banks, which were founded in the pre-independence era to cater to the banking needs of the people. In 1921, three major banks i.e. Banks of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, and Bank of Madras, merged to form Imperial Bank of India. In 1935, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established and it took over the central banking responsibilities from the Imperial Bank of India, transferring commercial banking functions completely to IBI. In 1955, after the declaration of first-five year plan, Imperial Bank of India was subsequently transformed into State Bank of India (SBI).
Following this, occurred the nationalization of major banks in India on 19 July 1969. The Government of India issued an ordinance and nationalized the 14 largest commercial banks of India, including Punjab National Bank (PNB), Allahabad Bank, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, etc. Thus, public sector banks revived to take up leading role in the banking structure. In 1980, the GOI nationalized 6 more commercial banks, with control over 91% of banking business of India.
In 1994, the Reserve Bank Of India issued a policy of liberalization to license limited number of private banks, which came to be known as New Generation tech-savvy banks. Global Trust Bank was, thus, the first private bank after liberalization; it was later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC). Then Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) became the first (still existing) to receive an 'in principle' approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a bank in the private sector.
At present, Private Banks in India include leading banks like ICICI Banks, ING Vysya Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Karnataka Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBI Commercial and International Bank, etc. Undoubtedly, being tech-savvy and full of expertise, private banks have played a major role in the development of Indian banking industry. They have made banking more efficient and customer friendly. In the process they have jolted public sector banks out of complacency and forced them to become more competitive.
Major private banks in India are:
