Allahabad Bank

Allahabad Bank (Hindi: इलाहाबाद बैंक) is a nationalised bank with its headquarters in Kolkata, India. It is the oldest joint stock bank in India. On 24 April 2014, the bank entered into its 150th year of establishment. It was founded in Allahabad in 1865.

As of 31 March 2012, Allahabad Bank had over 2,500 branches across India. The bank did a total business of INR 3.1 trillion during the FY 2012-13. The bank has a branch in Hong Kong and a representative office in Shenzen.

The bank's market capitalisation in May 2013 was US$ 1.28 billion and it ranked #1466 on the Forbes Global 2000 list.

History

19th century

On 24 April 1865, a group of Europeans at Allahabad founded Allahabad Bank. By the end of the 19th century it had branches at Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Nainital, Calcutta, and Delhi.

20th century

In the early 20th century, with the start of Swadeshi movement, Allahabad Bank witnessed a spurt in deposits. In 1920, P & O Banking Corporation acquired Allahabad Bank with a bid price of ₹436 (US$6.40) per share. In 1923 the bank moved its head office and the registered office to Calcutta for reasons of both operational convenience and business opportunities. Then in 1927 Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (Chartered Bank) acquired P&O Bank. However, Chartered Bank continued to operate Allahabad Bank as a separate entity.