Development of Commercial Banks during Pre and Post Globalization Era in India: An Analysis

Abstract

Banking is an old business and a central pillar of Indian society. Money lending activities in India had traced back to the Vedic period (according to Central Banking Enquiry Committee-1931). The professional banking system existed long ago- Manu Murthy, Kautilya’s Arthashastra- in India. Initial stage growth of Indian banks was very sluggish and also experienced episodic failure between 1913 and 1948. The banking sector in the pre-reform period was experienced poor performance and caught into deep crisis due to excessive loans in comparison to total deposits having a ratio more than 50 per cent consisting of about 90 per cent of all commercial banks which posed a significant threat to the stability and transparency of the financial system. During those days, the public had lesser confidence in the banks. Government at this juncture decided to introduce comprehensive economic reforms. Environmental and regulatory changes have made this sector more competitive and improved the health of the Indian banking sector. The study's main purpose is to analyse the growth of India scheduled commercial banks during pre and post-globalisation period in three phases viz., a)Early Phase of growth of the CBS: 1936-1969, b) Period of Social Control:1967 -1991 and c)Phase of Globalization:1991-2018. The present study is based on, purely, secondary data.