Banking in India originated in the last decades of the 18th century.

The first banks were The General Bank of India, which started in 1786, and Bank of Hindustan, which started in 1790; both are now defunct. The oldest bank in existence in India is the State Bank of India, which originated in the Bank of Calcutta in June 1806, which almost immediately became the Bank of Bengal. This was one of the three presidency banks, the other two being the Bank of Bombay and the Bank of Madras, all three of which were established under charters from the British East India Company. For many years the Presidency banks acted as quasi-central banks, as did their successors. The three banks merged in 1921 to form the Imperial Bank of India, which, upon India's independence, became the State Bank of India in 1955.

History
Indian merchants in Calcutta established the Union Bank in 1839, but it failed in 1848 as a consequence of the economic crisis of 1848-49. The Allahabad Bank, established in 1865 and still functioning today, is the oldest Joint Stock bank in India.(Joint Stock Bank: A company that issues stock and requires shareholders to be held liable for the company's debt) It was not the first though. That honor belongs to the Bank of Upper India, which was established in 1863, and which survived until 1913, when it failed, with some of its assets and liabilities being transferred to the Alliance Bank of Simla. When the American Civil War stopped the supply of cotton to Lancashire from the Confederate States, promoters opened banks to finance trading in Indian cotton. With large exposure to speculative ventures, most of the banks opened in India during that period fey 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. Foreign banks too started to arrive, particularly in Calcutta, in the 1860s. The Comptoire d'Escompte de Paris opened a branch in Calcutta in 1860, and another in Bombay in 1862; branches inMadras and Pondicherry, then a French colony, followed. HSBC established itself in Bengal in 1869. Calcutta was the most active trading port in India, mainly due to the trade of the British Empire, and so became a banking center. The first entirely Indian joint stock bank was the Oudh Commercial Bank, established in 1881 in Faizabad. It failed in 1958. The next was the Punjab National Bank, established in Lahore in 1895, which has survived to the present and is now one of the largest banks in India. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the Indian economy was passing through a relative period of stability. Around five decades had elapsed since the Indian Mutiny, and the social, industrial and other infrastructure had improved. Indians had established small banks, most of which served particular ethnic and religious communities. The presidency banks dominated banking in India but there were also some exchange banks and a number of Indian joint stock banks. All these banks operated in different segments of the economy. The exchange banks, mostly owned by Europeans, concentrated on financing foreign trade. Indian joint stock banks were generally under capitalized and lacked the experience and maturity to compete with the presidency and exchange banks. This segmentation let Lord Curzon to observe, "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."

The period between 1906 and 1911, saw the establishment of banks inspired by the Swadeshi movement. The Swadeshi movement inspired local businessmen and political figures to found banks of and for the Indian community. A number of banks established then have survived to the present such as Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and Central Bank of India. The fervour of Swadeshi movement lead to establishing of many private banks in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district which were unified earlier and known by the name South Canara ( South Kanara ) district. Four nationalised banks started in this district and also a leading private sector bank. Hence undivided Dakshina Kannada district is known as "Cradle of Indian Banking". During the First World War (19141918) through the end of the Second World War (19391945), and two years thereafter until the independence of India were challenging for Indian banking. The years of the First World War were turbulent, and it took its toll with banks simply collapsing despite the Indian economy gaining indirect boost due to war-related economic activities. At least 94 banks in India failed between 1913 and 1918 as indicated in the following table:

Years

Number of banks Authorised capital Paid-up Capital that failed (Rs. Lakhs) (Rs. Lakhs)

1913 12

274

35

1914 42

710

109

1915 11

56

1916 13

231

1917 9

76

25

1918 7

209

Post-Independence
The partition of India in 1947 adversely impacted the economies of Punjab and West Bengal, paralyzing banking activities for months. India's independence marked the end of a regime of theLaissez-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: The Reserve Bank of India, India's central banking authority, was established in April 1934, but was nationalized on January 1, 1949 under the terms of the Reserve Bank of India (Transfer to Public Ownership) Act, 1948 (RBI, 2005b). 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 could be opened without a license from the RBI, and no two banks could have common directors.

Nationalisation

Banks Nationalisation in India: Newspaper Clipping, Times of India, July 20, 1969

Despite the provisions, control and regulations of Reserve Bank of India, banks in India except the State Bank of India or SBI, continued to be owned and operated by private persons. By the 1960s, the Indian banking industry had become an important tool to facilitate the development of the Indian economy. At the same time, it had emerged as a large employer, and a debate had ensued about the nationalization of the banking industry. Indira Gandhi, thenPrime Minister of India, expressed the intention of the Government of India in the annual conference of the All India Congress Meeting in a paper [2] entitled"Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalisation." The meeting received the paper with enthusiasm. Thereafter, her move was swift and sudden. The Government of India issued an ordinance ('Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Ordinance, 1969')) and nationalised the 14 largest commercial banks with effect from the midnight of July 19, 1969. These banks contained 85 percent of bank deposits in the country. 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 (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertaking) Bill, and it received thepresidential approval on 9 August 1969.

A second dose of nationalization of 6 more commercial banks followed in 1980. The stated reason for the nationalization was to give the government more control of credit delivery. With the second dose of nationalization, the Government of India controlled around 91% of the banking business of India. Later on, in the year 1993, the government merged New Bank of India with Punjab National Bank. It was the only merger between nationalized banks and resulted in the reduction of the number of nationalised banks from 20 to 19. 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 Narasimha Rao government embarked on a policy of liberalization, licensing a small number of private banks. These came to be known as New Generation tech-savvy banks, and included Global Trust Bank (the first of such new generation banks to be set up), which later amalgamated with Oriental Bank of Commerce, Axis Bank(earlier as UTI Bank), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. This move, along with the rapid growth in the economy of India, revitalized 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 set up 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 74% with some restrictions. The new policy shook the Banking sector in India completely. Bankers, till this time, were used to the 4-64 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. Currently (2010), banking in India is generally fairly mature in terms of supply, product range and reacheven 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. In recent years critics have charged that the non-government owned banks are too aggressive in their loan recovery efforts in connection with housing, vehicle and personal loans. There are press reports that the banks' loan recovery efforts have driven defaulting borrowers to suicide.

Private Banks in INDIA

Axis Bank

Axis Bank Limited

Type

Public

Traded as

BSE: 532215 LSE: AXBC NSE: AXISBANK

Industry

Banking, Financial services

Founded

1994

Headquarters

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Key people

Adarsh Kishore, (Chairman) Shikha Sharma, (MD & CEO)

Products

Credit cards, consumer banking,corporate banking, finance and insurance, investment banking,mortgage loans, private banking,private equity, wealth management

Revenue

198.26 billion (US$3.96 billion)(2011)[1]

Net income

33.44 billion (US$667.13 million)(2011)[1]

Total assets

2.42566 trillion (US$48.39 billion)(2011)[1]

Employees

21,640 (2010)[2]

Website

www.axisbank.com

Axis Bank Limited, formerly UTI Bank, (BSE: 532215, LSE: AXBC) is an Indian financial services firm that had begun operations in 1994, after the Government of India allowed new private banks to be established. The Bank was promoted jointly by the Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (UTI-I), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation Ltd., National Insurance Company Ltd., The New India Assurance Company, The Oriental Insurance Corporation and United India Insurance Company UTI-I holds a special position in the Indian capital markets and has promoted many leading financial institutions in the country. The bank changed its name [3] to Axis Bank in April 2007 to avoid confusion with other unrelated entities with similar name. After the Retirement of Mr. P. J. Nayak, Shikha Sharma was named as the bank's managing director and CEO on [4] 20 April 2009. As on the year ended 31 March 2009 the Bank had a total income of billion) and a net profit of 18.1293 billion (US$361.68 million). 137.4504 billion (US$2.74

On 24 February 2010, Axis Bank announced the launch of 'AXIS CALL & PAY on atom', a unique mobile payments solution using Axis Bank debit cards. Axis Bank is the first bank in the country to provide a [5] secure debit card-based payment service over IVR.

Branch Network

AXIS Bank

The Bank's Registered Office is at Ahmedabad and its Central Office is located at Mumbai. At the end of December 2011, The Bank has a very wide network of more than had a network of 1,493 domestic branches and extension counters and at end of March 2012 there were 10,000 ATMs situated in 971 cities and town. The Bank has loans now (as of June 2007) account for as much as 70 per cent of the banks total loan book of 20 trillion. For HDFC Bank, retail assets are around 57 per cent ( 280 billion) of the total loans as of March 2007. In the case of Axis Bank, retail loans have declined from 30 per cent of the total loan book of 258 billion in June 2006 to around 23 per cent of loan book of 412.8 billion (as of June 2007). Even over a longer period, while the overall asset growth for Axis Bank has been quite high and has matched that of the other banks, retail exposures grew at a slower pace. If the sharp decline in the retail asset book in the past year in the case of Axis Bank is part of a deliberate business strategy, this could have significant implications (not necessarily negative) for the overall future profitability of the business. Despite the slower growth of the retail book over a period of time and the outright decline seen in the past year, the banks fundamentals are quite resilient. With the high level of mid-corporate and wholesale corporate lending the bank has been doing, one would have expected the net interest margins to have been under greater pressure. The bank, though, appears to have insulated such pressures. Interest margins, while they have declined from the 3.15 per cent seen in 2003-04, are still hovering close to the 3 per cent mark. (The comparable margins for ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank are around 2.60 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. The margins for ICICI Bank are lower despite its much larger share of the higher margin retail business, since funding costs also are higher). The Bank today is capitalized to the extent of 4.099 billion with the public holding (other than promoters and GDRs) at 53.63%. It is also listed in the top 100 most trusted brands of India in the Brand Trust report . Axis Bank operates the worlds highest ATM site at Thegu, Sikkim at 13,200 feet above sea level.

HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank Limited

Type

Public

Traded as

BSE: 500180 NSE: HDFCBANK NYSE: HDB BSE SENSEX Constituent

Industry

Banking, Financial services

Founded

August 1994

Headquarters

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Area served

Worldwide

Key people

Aditya Puri (MD)

Products

Credit cards, consumer banking, corporate banking,finance and insurance,investment banking, mortgage loans, private banking, private equity, wealth management[1]

Revenue

US$ 5.585 billion (2011)[2]

Profit

US$ 923.8 million (2011)[2]

Total assets

US$ 65.483 billion (2011)[2]

Total equity

US$ 7.769 million (2011)[2]

Employees

55,752 (2011)[2]

Website

HDFCBank.com

HDFC Bank Limited (BSE: 500180, NSE: HDFCBANK, NYSE: HDB) is an Indian financial services company that was incorporated in August 1994. HDFC Bank is the fifth or sixth largest bank in India by assets and the second largest bank by market capitalization as of February 24, 2012. The bank was promoted by the Housing Development Finance Corporation, a premier housing finance company (set up in 1977) of India. HDFC Bank has 1,986 branches and over 5,471 ATMs, in 996 cities in India, and all branches of the bank are linked on an online real-time basis. As of 30 September 2008 the bank [3] had total assets of Rs.1006.82 billion. For the fiscal year 2010-11, the bank has reported net profit of 3,926.30 crore (US$783.3 million), up 33.1% from the previous fiscal. Total annual earnings of the bank [4] increased by 20.37% reaching at 24,263.4 crore (US$4.84 billion) in 2010-11. HDFC Bank is one of the Big Four banks of India, along with: State Bank of India, ICICI Bank andPunjab National Bank.

History
HDFC Bank was incorporated in 1994 by Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), India's largest housing finance company. It was among the first companies to receive an 'in principle' approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a bank in the private sector. The Bank started operations as a scheduled commercial bank in January 1995 under the RBI's liberalisation policies. Times Bank Limited (owned by Bennett, Coleman & Co. / Times Group) was merged with HDFC Bank Ltd., in 2000. This was the first merger of two private banks in India. Shareholders of Times Bank received 1 share of HDFC Bank for every 5.75 shares of Times Bank. In 2008 HDFC Bank acquired Centurion Bank of Punjab taking its total branches to more than 1,000. The amalgamated bank emerged with a base of about Rs. 1,22,000 crore and net advances of about Rs.89,000 crore. The balance sheet size of the combined entity is more than Rs. 1,63,000 crore.

Business focus
HDFC Bank deals with three key business segments. - Wholesale Banking Services, Retail Banking Services, Treasury. It has entered the banking consortia of over 50 corporates for providingworking capital finance, trade services, corporate finance, and merchant banking. It is also providing sophisticated product structures in areas of foreign exchange and derivatives, money markets and debt trading and equity research.

Wholesale banking services

Blue-chip manufacturing companies in the Indian corp to small & mid-sized corporates and agri-based businesses. For these customers, the Bank provides a wide range of commercial and transactional banking services, including working capital finance, trade services, transactional services, cash [clarification needed] management, etc. The bank is also a leading provider of for its corporate customers, mutual funds, stock exchange members and banks.

Retail banking services

HDFC Bank was the first bank in India to launch an International Debit Card in association with VISA (Visa Electron) and issues the Mastercard Maestro debit card as well. The Bank launched its credit card business in late 2001. By March 2009, the bank had a total card base (debit and credit cards) of over 13 million. The Bank is also one of the leading players in the merchant acquiring business with over 70,000 Point-of-sale (POS) terminals for debit / credit cards acceptance at merchant establishments. The Bank is positioned in various net based B2C opportunities including a wide range of internet banking services for Fixed Deposits, Loans, Bill Payments, etc.With Finest of Technology and Best of Man power in Banking Industry HDFC BANK's retail services have become by and large the best in India and since the contribution to CASAi,e total number of current and savings account of more than 50% ,HDFC BANK has full potential to become Indias No.1 Private Sector Bank.

Treasury
Within this business, the bank has three main product areas - Foreign Exchange and Derivatives, Local Currency Money Market & Debt Securities, and Equities. These services are provided through the bank's Treasury team. To comply with statutory reserve requirements, the bank is required to hold 25% of its deposits in government securities. The Treasury business is responsible for managing the returns and market risk on this investment portfolio.

Distribution network

An HDFC Bank Branch

HDFC Bank is headquartered in Mumbai and has a As of March 31, 2012, the Banks distribution network was at 2,544 branches and 8,913 ATMs in 1,399 cities as against 1,986 branches and 5,471 ATMs in 996 cities as of March 31, 2011

ICICI Bank

Type

Public

Traded as

BSE: 532174 NSE: ICICIBANK NYSE: IBN BSE SENSEX Constituent

Industry

Banking, Financial services

Founded

1955

Headquarters

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Area served

Worldwide

Key people

K. V. Kamath
(Chairman)

Chanda Kochhar
(MD & CEO)

Products

Credit cards, Consumer banking, corporate banking,finance and insurance,investment banking, mortgage loans, private banking, wealth management

Revenue

US$ 13.812 billion (2011)[1]

Profit

US$ 1.366 billion (2011)[1]

ICICI Bank

Total assets

US$ 119.69 billion (2011)[1]

Total equity

US$ 12.401 billion (2011)[1]

Employees

79,978 (2011)[1]

Website

www.icicibank.com

Limited (NSE: ICICIBANK, BSE: 532174, NYSE: IBN) is an Indian diversified financial services company headquartered inMumbai, Maharashtra. It is the second largest bank in India by assets and third largest by market capitalization. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialized subsidiaries in the areas of investment banking, life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management. The Bank has a network of 2,630 branches and 8,003 ATM's in India, and has a presence in 19 countries, [2] including India. The bank has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Russia, and Canada; branches in United States, Singapore, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Qatar and Dubai International Finance Centre; and representative offices in United Arab Emirates, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and [3] Indonesia. The company's UK subsidiary has established branches in Belgium and Germany. ICICI Bank is one of the Big Four banks of India, along with State Bank of India, Punjab National [4] Bank and Bank of Baroda.

Corporate history

ICICI Bank - Leeds Branch

ICICI Bank was established in 1996 by the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, an Indian financial institution, as a wholly owned subsidiary. The parent company was formed in 1955 as a joint-venture of the World Bank, India's public-sector banks and public-sector insurance companies to [5][6] provide project financing to Indian industry. The bank was initially known as the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Bank, before it changed its name to the abbreviated ICICI Bank. The parent company was later merged into ICICI Bank. ICICI Bank launched internet banking operations in 1998.
[7]

ICICI's shareholding in ICICI Bank was reduced to 46 percent, through a public offering of shares in India in 1998, followed by an equity offering in the form of American Depositary Receipts on the NYSE in 2000. ICICI Bank acquired the Bank of Madura Limited in an all-stock deal in 2001, and sold additional stakes to institutional investors during 2001-02. In the 1990s, ICICI transformed its business from a development financial institution offering only project finance to a diversified financial services group, offering a wide variety of products and services, both directly and through a number of subsidiaries and affiliates like ICICI Bank. In 1999, ICICI become the first Indian company and the first bank or financial institution from non-Japan Asia to be listed on the [8] NYSE. In 2000, ICICI Bank became the first Indian bank to list on the New York Stock Exchange with its five million American depository shares issue generating a demand book 13 times the offer size. In October 2001, the Boards of Directors of ICICI and ICICI Bank approved the merger of ICICI and two of its wholly owned retail finance subsidiaries, ICICI Personal Financial Services Limited and ICICI Capital Services Limited, with ICICI Bank. The merger was approved by shareholders of ICICI and ICICI Bank in January 2002, by the High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad in March 2002, and by the High Court of [9] Judicature at Mumbai and the Reserve Bank of India in April 2002.

In 2008, following the 2008 financial crisis, customers rushed to ATM's and branches in some locations due to rumors of adverse financial position of ICICI Bank. The Reserve Bank of India issued a clarification [10] on the financial strength of ICICI Bank to dispel the rumors.

Corporate governance
Group Anti Money Laundering Policy
The ICICI Group AML Policy establishes the standards of AML compliance and is applicable to all [11] activities.

Code of Conduct
ICICI Bank has formulated a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for its directors and [12] employees. ICICI merge the bank of rajasthan in 2010.

Creation of market infrastructure in India

ICICI Bank has contributed to set up different institutions which include the following: National Stock Exchange The National Stock Exchange was promoted by Indias leading financial institutions (including ICICI Ltd.) in 1992 on behalf of the Government of India with the objective of establishing a nationwide trading facility for equities, debt instruments and hybrids, by ensuring equal access to investors all over the country [13] through an appropriate communication network. Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited In 1987, ICICI Ltd. along with UTI set up CRISIL as India's first professional credit rating agency. CRISIL offers a comprehensive range of integrated products and service offerings which include credit ratings, [14] capital market information, industry analysis and detailed reports. National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange Limited NCDEX is a professionally managed online multi-commodity exchange, set up in 2003, by ICICI Bank Ltd, LIC, NABARD, NSE, Canara Bank, CRISIL, Goldman Sachs, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative [15] Limited (IFFCO) and Punjab National Bank. Financial Innovation Network and Operations Pvt Ltd. ICICI Bank has facilitated setting up of "FINO Cross Link to Case Link Study" in 2006, as a company that would provide technology solutions and services to reach the underserved and underbanked population of the country. Using cutting edge technologies like smart cards, biometrics and a basket of support services, FINO enables financial institutions to conceptualise, develop and operationalise projects to [16] support sector initiatives in microfinance and livelihoods. Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an autonomous body and not-for-profit society, was set up in 1983, by the erstwhile apex financial institutions like IDBI, ICICI, IFCI and SBI with the support of the Govt. of Gujarat as a national resource organisation committed to entrepreneurship [17] development, education, training and research. North Eastern Development Finance Corporation

North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFI) was promoted by national level financial institutions like ICICI Ltd in 1995 at Guwahati, Assam for the development of industries, infrastructure, animal husbandry, agri-horticulture plantation, medicinal plants, sericulture, aquaculture, poultry and dairy in the North Eastern states of India. NEDFI is the premier financial and development institution for the [18] North East region. Asset Reconstruction Company India Limited Following the enactment of the Securitisation Act in 2002, ICICI Bank together with other institutions, set up Asset Reconstruction Company India Limited (ARCIL) in 2003, to create a facilitative environment for the resolution of distressed debt in India. ARCIL was established to acquire non performing assets (NPAs) from financial institutions and banks with a view to enhance the management of these assets and help in the maximisation of recovery. This would relieve institutions and banks from the burden of [19][20] pursuing NPAs, and allow them to focus on core banking activities. Credit Information Bureau of India Limited ICICI Bank has also helped in setting up Credit Information Bureau of India Limited (CIBIL), Indias first national credit bureau in 2000. CIBIL provides a repository of information (which contains the credit history of commercial and consumer borrowers) to its members in the form of credit information reports. The members of CIBIL include banks, financial institutions, state financial corporations, non-banking [21] financial companies, housing finance companies and credit card companies.

Corporate Social Responsibility programmes for Elementary Education

Read to Lead Phase I
Read to Lead is an initiative of ICICI Bank to facilitate access to elementary education for underprivileged children in the age group of 314 years including girls and tribal children from the remote rural areas. The Read to Lead initiative supports partner NGOs to design and implement programs that mobilise parent and community involvement in education, strengthen schools and enable children to enter and complete formal elementary education. Read to Lead has reached out to 100,000 children across 14 states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, [22] Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Read to Lead Phase I is focused on Bridge courses to support dropout children to re-enrol in formal education Remedial coaching to potential dropout children to ensure their continuation in formal schooling Educational kits that include uniforms, books, stationery, woollen clothes etc. Inclusive and special education for children with special needs, such as mentally challenged and physically disabled children Health and nutritional support for children Community initiatives for sensitisation on importance of education, including parent groups, school enrolment drives, workshops and seminars, and publications Holistic development of children through instruction in arts and crafts, street plays, and life skills education

Read to Lead Phase II

In Phase II of the Read to Lead programme, ICICI Bank has supported the establishment of 63 libraries that will reach out to approximately 7,200 children in the rural areas of Jagdalpur block of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh. The programme includes building libraries, sourcing books and conducting various [citation needed] interactive activities to make the library a dynamic centre for learning.

Go Green Initiative
The Go Green Initiative is an organisation wide initiative that moves beyond moving people, processes and customers to cost effective automated channels to build awareness and consciousness of our [23] environment,our nation and our society.

Objective
ICICI Banks Green initiatives range from Green offerings/incentives, Green engagement to Green [24] communication with their customers.

Green products and services

Instabanking It is the platform that brings together all alternate channels under one umbrella and gives customers the option of banking through Internet banking, i-Mobile banking, IVR Banking. This reduces the carbon footprint of the customers by ensuring they do not have to resort to physical statements or travel to their [23] branches. But you will be charged Rs 110 if you discontinue paper statements and go to branch to get a paper statement for loan etc. http://www.icicibank.com/service-charges/common-service-charges.html Vehicle Finance As an initiative towards more environment friendly way of life, Auto loans offer 50% waiver on processing fee on car models which uses alternate mode of energy. The models identified for the purpose are, Maruti's LPG version of Maruti 800, Omni and Versa, Hyundai's Santro Eco, Civic Hybrid of Honda, Reva [23] electric cars, Tata Indica CNG and Mahindra Logan CNG versions. [edit]Carbon

Footprint Calculator

Inputs include region, user input of the distance traveled in a particular medium of transport daily, electricity consumed per month and LPG cylinder/piped natural gas used per month. It calculates the net carbon footprint to create awareness and sensitize people about the environment.It also shows the world's and India's average carbon footprint.

IDBI Bank

IDBI Bank Limited

Type

Public (BSE: 0011 )

Industry

Banking, Financial services

Founded

July 1964

Headquarters

Mumbai, India

Key people

R M Malla (CMD)

Products

Credit cards, consumer banking,corporate banking, finance and insurance, investment banking,mortgage loans, private banking,private equity, wealth management

Revenue

20,858 crore (US$4.16 billion)(2011)[1]

Net income

1,563 crore (US$311.82 million)(2011)

Total assets

253,116 crore (US$50.5 billion)(2011)

Employees

14,000 (2011)

Website

www.idbi.com

IDBI Bank Limited (BSE: 0011 ) is an Indian financial service company headquartered Mumbai, India. RBI categorised IDBI as an "other public sector bank". It was established in 1964 by an Act of [2] Parliament to provide credit and other facilities for the development of the fledgling Indian industry. It is currently 10th largest development bank in the world in terms of reach with 1514 ATMs, 923 branches including one overseas branch at DIFC, Dubai and 621 centers including two overseas centres at [3] Singapore & Beijing. Some of the institutions built by IDBI are the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), the Credit Analysis & Research Ltd, the Exim Bank (India)(Exim Bank), the Small Industries Development Bank of India(SIDBI), the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, and IDBI BANK, which is owned by the Indian Government.IDBI Bank is on a par with nationalized banks and the SBI Group as far as government ownership is concerned.It is one among the 26 commercial banks owned by the Government of India.The Bank has an aggregate balance sheet size of Rs. 2,53,378 crore as on March 31, 2011. IDBI Bank's operations during the financial year ended March 31,

Recent developments
To meet emerging challenges and to keep up with reforms in financial sector, IDBI has taken steps to reshape its role from a development finance institution to a commercial institution. With the Industrial Development Bank (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Act, 2003, IDBI attained the status of a limited company viz. "Industrial Development Bank of India Limited" (IDBIL). Subsequently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the requisite notification on 30 September 2004 incorporating IDBI as a 'scheduled bank' under the RBI Act, 1934. Consequently, IDBI, formally entered the portals of banking business as IDBIL from 1 October 2004. The commercial banking arm, IDBI BANK, was merged into. In March 2008, IDBI Bank entered into a joint venture with Federal Bank and Fortis Insurance International to form IDBI Fortis Life Insurance, of which IDBI Bank owns 48 percent. The company ended the year with over 300 Cr in premiums as on 31 March 2009.The name of IDBI Fortis Life Insurance is now changed to IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd. Government of India now owns 65.17% stake in IDBI Bank. Hence IDBI Bank is also referred as 'The New Age Government owned Bank' It has bought 10% stake in upcoming commodity bourse Universal Commo-dity Exchange (UCX) for Rs 10 crore, the bank's top official said. The deal was completed recently. RM Malla, chairman and MD of IDBI Bank, confirmed that the bank had picked up 10% in what will become the country's sixth commodity futures exchange. "The idea behind acquiring equity is to push agriculture loans through this venture,"

said Malla. "The other advantage is IDBI will be the only bank among the promoters and therefore all [4] transactions of the exchange will be routed through IDBI." A breakthrough initiative in customer service was taken by IDBI Bank (branded as 'Customer Delight Campaign [1]' when it removed many of the charges from its retail banking services. This step has created a wave in banking industry and put the bank on a developmental pedestal never seen before. Some of the charges waived are- ATM-cum-Debit card annual charges, Transaction charges on other banks' ATMs, Demand Draft/Pay Order charges, RTGS/NEFT charges, Cheque book issuance and utilization charges and many more other charges. It was the winner in two categories in Dun & Bradstreet's Polaris Software Banking Awards 2011.
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It has now a network of 977 branches, 661 centres and 1547 ATMs as on April 18, 2012. The 977th branch is located at Kagal near Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

Overview of development banking in India

The concept of development banking rose only after Second World War, after the Great Depression in 1930s. The demand for reconstruction funds for the affected nations compelled in setting up a worldwide institution for reconstruction. As a result the IBRD was set up in 1945 as a worldwide institution for development and reconstruction. This concept has been widened all over the world and resulted in setting up of large number of banks around the world which coordinating the developmental activities of different nations with different objectives among the world. The Narashimam committee had recommended to give up its direct financing functions and to perform only the promotional and refinancing role. However, the [6] S.H.Khan committee, appointed by the RBI, recommended its transformation into a universal bank. The course of development of financial institutions and markets during the post-Independence period was largely guided by the process of planned development pursued in India with emphasis on mobilisation of savings and channeling investment to meet Plan priorities. At the time of Independence in 1947, India had a fairly well developed banking system. The adoption of bank dominated financial development strategy was aimed at meeting the sectoral credit needs, particularly of agriculture and industry. Towards this end, the Reserve Bank concentrated on regulating and developing mechanisms for institution building. The commercial banking network was expanded to cater to the requirements of general banking and for meeting the short-term working capital requirements of industry and agriculture. Specialised development financial institutions (DFIs) such as the IDBI, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI, etc., with majority ownership of the Reserve Bank were set up to meet the long-term financing requirements of industry and agriculture. To facilitate the growth of these institutions, a mechanism to provide concessional finance to these institutions was also put in place by the Reserve Bank. The first development bank In India incorporated immediately after independence in 1948 under the Industrial Finance Corporation Act as a statutory corporation to pioneer institutional credit to medium and large-scale. Then after in regular intervals the government started new and different development financial institutions to attain the different objectives and helpful to five-year plans. The early history of Indian banking and finance was marked by strong governmental regulation and control. The roots of the national system were in the State Bank of India Act of 1955, which nationalized the former Imperial Bank of India and its seven associate banks. In the early days, this national system operated alongside of a large private banking system. Banks were limited in their operational flexibility by

the governments desire to maintain employment in the banking system and were often drawn into troublesome loans in order to further the governments social goals. The financial institutions in India were set up under the strong control of both central and state Governments, and the Government utilized these institutions for the achievements in planning and development of the nation as a whole. Thus India financial institutions can be classified under five heads according to their economic importance: All-India Development Banks Specialized Financial Institutions Investment Institutions State-level institutions Other institutions..

Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI)

The Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) was established on 1 July 1964 under an Act of Parliament as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India. In 16 February 1976, the ownership of IDBI was transferred to the Government of India and it was made the principal financial institution for coordinating the activities of institutions engaged in financing, promoting and developing industry in the country. Although Government shareholding in the Bank came down below 100% following IDBIs public issue in July 199 , the former continues to be the major shareholder (current shareholding: 65.14%). IDBI provides financial assistance, both in rupee and foreign currencies, for green-field projects as also for expansion, modernisation and diversification purposes. In the wake of financial sector reforms unveiled by the government since 1992, IDBI also provides indirect financial assistance by way of refinancing of loans extended by State-level financial institutions and banks and by way of rediscounting [citation needed] of bills of exchange arising out of sale of indigenous machinery on deferred payment terms. IDBI has played a pioneering role, particularly in the pre-reform era (196491),in catalyzing broad based industrial development in the country in keeping with its Government-ordained development banking [citation needed] charter. Narasimam committee recommends that IDBI should give up its direct financing functions and concentrate only in promotional and refinancing role. But this recommendation was rejected by the government. Later RBI constituted a committee under the chairmanship of S.H.Khan to examine the concept of development financing in the changed global challenges. This committee is the first to recommend the concept of universal banking. The committee wanted the development financial institution to diversify its activity. It recommended to harmonise the role of development financing and banking activities by getting away from the conventional distinction between commercial banking and developmental banking. In September 2003, IDBI diversified its business domain further by acquiring the entire shareholding of Tata Finance Limited in Tata Home finance Ltd., signaling IDBIs foray into the retail finance sector. The fully owned housing finance subsidiary has since been renamed IDBI Home finance Limited. In view of the signal changes in the operating environment, following initiation of reforms since the early 1990s, Government of India has decided to transform IDBI into a commercial bank without eschewing its secular development finance obligations. The migration to the new business model of commercial banking, with its gateway to low-cost current, savings bank deposits, would help overcome most of the limitations of the
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current business model of development finance while simultaneously enabling it to diversify its client/ asset base. Towards this end, the IDB (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Act 2003 was passed by Parliament in December 2003. The Act provides for repeal of IDBI Act, corporatisation of IDBI (with majority Government holding; current share: 58.47%) and transformation into a commercial bank. The provisions of the Act have come into force from 2 July 2004 in terms of a Government Notification to this effect. The Notification facilitated formation, incorporation and registration of Industrial Development Bank of India Ltd. as a company under the Companies Act, 1956 and a deemed Banking Company under the Banking Regulation Act 1949 and helped in obtaining requisite regulatory and statutory clearances, including those from RBI. IDBI would commence banking business in accordance with the provisions of the new Act in addition to the business being transacted under IDBI Act, 1964 from 1 October 2004, the Appointed Date notified by the Central Government. IDBI Bank, with which the parent IDBI was merged, was a new generation Bank. The Pvt Bank was the fastest growing banking company in India. The bank was pioneer in adapting to policy of first mover in tier 2 cities. The Bank has one of the highest productivity per employee in Indian banking industry. On 29 July 2004, the Board of Directors of IDBI and IDBI Bank accorded in principle approval to the merger of IDBI Bank with the Industrial Development Bank of India Ltd. to be formed incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 pursuant to the IDB (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Act, 2003 (53 of 2003), subject to the approval of shareholders and other regulatory and statutory approvals. A mutually gainful proposition with positive implications for all stakeholders and clients, the merger process is expected to be completed during the current financial year ending 31 March 2005. The immediate fall out of the merger of IDBI and IDBI Bank was the exit of employees of IDBI bank. The cultures in the two organizations have taken its toll. The IDBI Bank now is in a growing fold. With its retail banking arm expanding further after the merger of United western Bank. IDBI would continue to provide the extant products and services as part of its development finance role even after its conversion into a banking company. In addition, the new entity would also provide an array of wholesale and retail banking products, designed to suit the specific needs cash flow requirements of corporates and individuals. In particular, IDBI would leverage the strong corporate relationships built up over the years to offer customised and total financial solutions for all corporate business needs, singlewindow appraisal for term loans and working capital finance, strategic advisory and hand-holding [citation needed] support at the implementation phase of projects, among others. IDBIs transformation into a commercial bank would provide a gateway to low-cost deposits like Current and Savings Bank Deposits. This would have a positive impact on the Banks overall cost of funds and facilitate lending at more competitive rates to its clients. The new entity would offer various retail products, leveraging upon its existing relationship with retail investors under its existing Suvidha Flexi-bond schemes. The responsibility for maintaining standards of corporate governance lies with its Board of Directors. Two Committees of the Board viz. the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee are adequately empowered to monitor implementation of good corporate governance practices and making necessary disclosures within the framework of legal provisions and banking conventions.

Industrial Investment Bank of India Ltd.

The Industrial Investment Bank of India is one of oldest banks in India. The Industrial Reconstruction Corporation of India Ltd., set up in 1971 for rehabilitation of sick industrial companies, was reconstituted as Industrial Reconstruction Bank of India in 1985 under the IRBI Act, 1984. With a view to converting the institution into a full-fledged development financial institution, IRBI was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, as Industrial Investment Bank of India Ltd. (IIBI) in March 1997. IIBI offers a wide range of products and services, including term loan assistance for project finance, short duration non-project asset-backed financing, working capital/ other short-term loans to companies, equity subscription, asset credit, equipment finance as also investments in capital market and money market instruments. In view of certain structural and financial problems adversely impacting its long-term viability, IIBI submitted a financial restructuring proposal to the Government of India on 25 July 2003. IIBI has since received certain directives from the Government of India, which, inter alias, include restricting fresh lending to existing clients approved cases rated corporates, restrictions on fresh borrowings, an action plan to reduce the overhead expenditure, disposal of fixed assets and a time-bound plan for asset recovery/reconstruction. The Government of India had also given its approval for the merger of IIBI with [9] IDBI and the latter had already started the due diligence process. Imtiyaz But on 17 December 2005 the IDBI rejected any such merger.
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Acquisition of United Western Bank

In 2006, IDBI Bank acquired United Western Bank in a rescue. Annasaheb Chirmule, who worked for the cause of Swadeshi movement, founded Satara Swadeshi Commercial Bank in 1907, and some three decades later founded United Western Bank. The bank was incorporated in 1936, and commenced operations the next year, with its head office in Satara, in Maharashtra State. It became a Scheduled Bank in 1951. In 1956 it merged with Union Bank of Kolhapur, and in 1961 with Satara Swadeshi [12] Commercial Bank. At the time of the merger with IDBI, United Western had some 230 branches spread over 47 districts in 9 states, controlled by five Zonal Offices at Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Jalgaon and Nagpur.
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