Indian Banks – Established & Head Office

Indian banks by category, with the year each bank (or its predecessor) was established and its head office, for the banking awareness section of IBPS, SBI and other exams.

Current vs historical: the year of establishment is historical and does not change. The classification of banks and their number change with mergers, licences and reclassification — the lists below were last reviewed in October 2026. Check the latest list on the RBI website and recent current affairs before your exam.

Central Bank

Bank	Established	Head Office
Reserve Bank of India (RBI)	1935	Mumbai (originally Kolkata; moved 1937)

Public Sector Banks (12)

Bank	Established	Head Office
State Bank of India (SBI)	1955	Mumbai
Punjab National Bank (PNB)	1894	New Delhi
Bank of Baroda	1908	Vadodara, Gujarat
Bank of India	1906	Mumbai
Canara Bank	1906	Bengaluru
Union Bank of India	1919	Mumbai
Indian Bank	1907	Chennai
Central Bank of India	1911	Mumbai
Indian Overseas Bank	1937	Chennai
UCO Bank	1943	Kolkata
Bank of Maharashtra	1935	Pune
Punjab & Sind Bank	1908	New Delhi

Major Private Sector Banks

Bank	Established	Head Office
HDFC Bank	1994	Mumbai
ICICI Bank	1994	Mumbai (Regd. office: Vadodara)
Axis Bank	1993	Mumbai
Kotak Mahindra Bank	2003	Mumbai
IndusInd Bank	1994	Mumbai (Regd. office: Pune)
Yes Bank	2004	Mumbai
IDBI Bank*	1964	Mumbai
IDFC First Bank	2015	Mumbai
Bandhan Bank	2015	Kolkata
RBL Bank	1943	Mumbai
Federal Bank	1931	Aluva, Kerala
South Indian Bank	1929	Thrissur, Kerala
Karur Vysya Bank	1916	Karur, Tamil Nadu
City Union Bank	1904	Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
Karnataka Bank	1924	Mangaluru
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank	1921	Thoothukudi (Tuticorin)
CSB Bank (Catholic Syrian Bank)	1920	Thrissur, Kerala
Dhanlaxmi Bank	1927	Thrissur, Kerala

^* IDBI Bank was set up in 1964 as a development financial institution and later became a commercial bank. The RBI classifies it as a private sector bank (since January 2019), although the Government of India and LIC hold most of its shares; check the latest position, as its ownership is under review.

Other Categories of Banks

Small Finance Banks

Licensed by the RBI to take deposits and lend mainly to small businesses, small and marginal farmers and the unorganised sector. Examples include Equitas, Ujjivan, Jana and Suryoday Small Finance Banks. Some small finance banks have applied to become universal banks, so the list changes — check the RBI website for the current list.

Payments Banks

Accept small deposits and offer payments and remittance services; they cannot lend or issue credit cards. Examples include India Post Payments Bank, Airtel Payments Bank and Fino Payments Bank. The concept came from the Nachiket Mor Committee.

Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)

Set up under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976 to serve rural areas, and jointly owned by the Central Government (50%), a sponsor bank (35%) and the State Government (15%). Under the “One State, One RRB” amalgamation that took effect on 1 May 2025, the number of RRBs was reduced to 28. Recruitment to RRBs is through the IBPS RRB exam.

Historical Facts About Indian Banks

• The Imperial Bank of India (1921) became the State Bank of India on 1 July 1955.
• 14 banks were nationalised in 1969 and 6 more in 1980.
• SBI's associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank were merged into SBI in 2017.
• Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank were merged into Bank of Baroda in 2019.
• From 1 April 2020, 10 public sector banks were merged into 4: Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank; Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank; Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India; and Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank. This left 12 public sector banks.