Banking in India

History of banking in India

Financial institutions that can be publicly scheduled, independent, local, rural, or non-scheduled and cooperative banks make up the Indian national banking system. The Companies Act of 1949, which governs India’s banking system, lays down India’s banking guidelines.

Over the years, India’s banking system has undergone numerous transformations and adjustments. It is divided into three sub-parts, which are as follows:

• Pre Independence before 1947: This was the period leading up to independence, which spanned over two hundred years. Throughout this time, there have been approximately 600 banks in India. At around that time, some of the most significant advancements in the banking business occurred.

The Bank of Hindustan (1770) is India’s oldest bank, so it laid the groundwork for its banking system. However, it went out of business in 1932.

Some banks during these phases were:

1. Bank of Bengal 1809   
2. Oudh Commercial Bank 1881-1958
3. General Bank of India 1786-1791
4. Bank of Bombay 1840

• 2nd Phase – 1947 to 1991: India’s financial system evolved similarly to before. Under the Banking Regulation Act of 1949, the Indian government wanted to nationalize banking institutions in 1969. The Reserve Bank of India was among the 14 banks nationalized.

The Indian government realized in 1975 that specific communities remained economically challenged. In response to India’s financial services investment, it established central banks with functional roles between 1982 and 1990.

Some banks during this phase are:

1. NABARD (1982) was formed to help agricultural activities.
2. National Housing Board formed to help housing projects
3. SIDBI was formed to finance small scale industries.

• 3rd Phase – 1991 to present :

This stage has brought dozens of new goods and services to the banking industry as part of a structured effort. A group was established in 1991, under the head of M.Narasimham, to work on the liberalization of bank procedures. International banks and ATMs now inundate the nation. Attempts are being made to provide customers with excellent service. Phone banking and online banking are now available. The system as a whole became more user-friendly and efficient. India’s financial sector has proven to be quite resilient. It is resistant to outside economic fluctuations that have caused crises in other East Asian countries. This is related to a floating exchange rate system.

E-Banking in India:

Online banking, E-banking, virtual banking, and internet banking are all terms used to describe electronic banking. This is essentially the delivery of different financial products and services via the internet and electronic network. For example, a client could use his desktop or smartphone to access their bank and perform various activities via e-banking. We’ll examine the importance and kinds of e-banking facilities in this article.

What features do ebanks offer in India?

There are various features that E-banks offer to their customers in India. The following points are a detailed explanation of the features:

• Transfer of funds – Anywhere throughout India, a client could transfer money from one account to another account in some other bank or even the same bank. They must log in to their bank’s online portal and enter the person’s name, bank details, institution, and branch location, as well as the amount of the transaction. The transfer takes around a day to complete.
• Online shopping – A consumer can use an e-banking facility to buy a product or service online and transfer money for the amount needed to purchase them through his account. They have all their needs at their fingertips.
• Investments – A consumer can create a deposit at the bank online by transferring money using electronic banking. Furthermore, if a consumer seems to have a demat account and a linked bank account and trading platform, they can purchase or sell stocks online too. Furthermore, some banks offer users to buy and sell mutual fund shares through their internet sites.

What is Open Banking?

Open Banking is a system in which information is openly distributed with the user’s permission to develop the necessary analytics and deliver financial and other solutions. Because permission is a critical component of an open banking principle, it is generally believed that open banking enhances clients’ control of the information they create.

The Reserve Bank of India introduced the Account Aggregators Map to help the open banking system. AAs operate on a tight consent basis, depending on permission contracts between users, the bank, and themself, as unbiased third administrators. They are only conduits for information to flow depending on the agreement, and they will not be permitted to view, keep, or use the information they receive.

Conclusion

The above article talks about the history of banking and its features that help the country. The article goes further in detail about how banks operate and provide features like e-banking and open banking. Banks are financial institutions that help transfer and store all kinds of capital and assets.