
India's banking sector forms the backbone of the country's financial system, offering a wide range of services to individuals, businesses, and government institutions. Regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the banking ecosystem comprises different categories of scheduled banks, each serving specific financial and economic needs.
As of 2026, scheduled commercial banks in India include public sector banks, private sector banks, small finance banks, payment banks, regional rural banks (RRBs), and foreign banks operating in the country. Understanding these categories is useful for banking aspirants, competitive exam candidates, finance professionals, and anyone looking to learn about India's banking structure.
India's banking system consists of various categories of scheduled banks, which are recognised under the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act. These banks play a vital role in accepting deposits, providing loans, supporting businesses, and promoting financial inclusion across the country.
Based on the available list of scheduled commercial banks, India has the following categories of banks in 2026:
|
Bank Category |
Number of Banks |
|
Public Sector Banks (SBI & Nationalised Banks) |
12 |
|
Domestic Private Sector Banks |
21 |
|
Small Finance Banks |
11 |
|
Payment Banks |
5* |
|
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) |
28 |
|
Foreign Banks |
44 |
*Note: Paytm Payments Bank's banking licence has been cancelled.
Scheduled banks are banks included in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, 1934. These banks meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the RBI and operate under its regulatory framework.
Scheduled banks include:
Public sector banks
Private sector banks
Small finance banks
Payment banks
Regional rural banks
Foreign banks operating in India
These institutions form the backbone of India's organised banking system.
Public sector banks are banks in which the Government of India holds a majority stake. They have one of the largest banking networks across the country and play an important role in financial inclusion.
The public sector banks in India include:
State Bank of India
Bank of Baroda
Bank of India
Bank of Maharashtra
Canara Bank
Central Bank of India
Indian Bank
Indian Overseas Bank
Punjab & Sind Bank
Punjab National Bank
UCO Bank
Union Bank of India
Private sector banks are primarily owned by private shareholders and offer a wide range of retail, corporate, and digital banking services.
The domestic private sector banks in India are:
Axis Bank
Bandhan Bank
CSB Bank
City Union Bank
DCB Bank
Dhanlaxmi Bank
Federal Bank
HDFC Bank
ICICI Bank
IndusInd Bank
IDFC FIRST Bank
Jammu & Kashmir Bank
Karnataka Bank
Karur Vysya Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Nainital Bank
RBL Bank
South Indian Bank
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank
YES Bank
IDBI Bank
Small Finance Banks (SFBs) are established to improve financial access for underserved sections of society, including small businesses, farmers, and micro-enterprises.
The small finance banks operating in India are:
AU Small Finance Bank
Capital Small Finance Bank
Equitas Small Finance Bank
ESAF Small Finance Bank
Suryoday Small Finance Bank
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
Utkarsh Small Finance Bank
slice Small Finance Bank
Jana Small Finance Bank
Shivalik Small Finance Bank
Unity Small Finance Bank
Payment banks primarily provide deposit, payment, remittance, and digital banking services. However, they do not offer regular lending services like commercial banks.
The payment banks are:
India Post Payments Bank
Fino Payments Bank
Paytm Payments Bank* (Banking licence cancelled)
Airtel Payments Bank
NSDL Payments Bank
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) primarily serve rural and semi-urban areas by providing banking facilities to farmers, agricultural workers, rural entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
The 28 Regional Rural Banks are:
Andhra Pradesh Grameena Bank
Assam Gramin Bank
Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank
Bihar Gramin Bank
Chhattisgarh Gramin Bank
Gujarat Gramin Bank
Haryana Gramin Bank
Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank
Jharkhand Gramin Bank
Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank
Karnataka Grameena Bank
Kerala Grameena Bank
Maharashtra Gramin Bank
Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank
Manipur Rural Bank
Meghalaya Rural Bank
Mizoram Rural Bank
Nagaland Rural Bank
Odisha Grameen Bank
Punjab Gramin Bank
Puducherry Grama Bank
Rajasthan Gramin Bank
Tamil Nadu Grama Bank
Telangana Grameena Bank
Tripura Gramin Bank
Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank
Uttarakhand Gramin Bank
West Bengal Gramin Bank
Foreign banks operate in India through branches or wholly owned subsidiaries and provide banking services to retail, corporate, and international customers.
The scheduled foreign banks operating in India include:
AB Bank PLC
American Express Banking Corporation
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd.
Barclays Bank Plc.
Bank of America National Association
Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait B.S.C.
Bank of Ceylon
Bank of China Limited
Bank of Nova Scotia
BNP Paribas
Citibank N.A.
Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.
Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
CTBC Bank Co., Ltd.
DBS Bank India Limited
Deutsche Bank A.G.
Doha Bank Q.P.S.C.
Emirates NBD Bank P.J.S.C.
First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC
FirstRand Bank Limited
Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC)
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Industrial Bank of Korea
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank N.A.
JSC VTB Bank
KEB Hana Bank
Kookmin Bank
Mashreqbank P.S.C.
Mizuho Bank Ltd.
MUFG Bank, Ltd.
NatWest Markets Plc
NongHyup Bank
PT Bank Maybank Indonesia TBK
Qatar National Bank (Q.P.S.C.)
Sberbank
SBM Bank (India) Limited
Shinhan Bank
Societe Generale
Sonali Bank PLC
Standard Chartered Bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
United Overseas Bank Limited
UBS AG
Woori Bank
India's scheduled banking system includes multiple categories of banks, each serving different customer segments. Public sector and private sector banks provide a wide range of retail and corporate banking services.
Small finance banks focus on financial inclusion, payment banks specialise in digital transactions, regional rural banks strengthen rural banking, while foreign banks support international banking and cross-border financial services.
Together, these institutions contribute to a diverse and well-regulated banking ecosystem.