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Banking system is called the lifeblood of an economy. Banking as a discipline has evolved over the centuries the world over, forming its theories and principles, methodologies, rules of business and developing its practices of high technology, soundness and prudence. Origin of banking has its genesis in India in the 18th century, when seven banks were established between 1720 and 1788. The 19th century saw addition of more banks and entry of a few foreign banks. For long (till 1960s), banks had a vulnerable existence, as failure of banks was not uncommon. Now, they are on sound footings. Establishment of the Reserve Bank of India in 1934, as the central bank of the country was a milestone. The enactment of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 made for orderly development of banking. Nationalisation of major banks in 1969 and 1980 was a watershed development which brought about a transformative phase making for meeting the credit needs of the varied sectors of the economy, expanding outreach of banks far and wide and aid financial inclusion. The public sector banks played their role remarkably. The recommendations of the Narasimham Committee on Financial System (1991) and on the Banking Sector Reforms (1998) resulted into wide reforms in the banking sector in India. New private banks (from 1994 onwards) have brought a spirit of competition and vibrancy. Banking technology has developed remarkably well. Co-operative banks have their vast network. From 2010 to 2020, India witnessed a revolution of payment and settlement systems with digital technologies. Setting up of Development Finance Institutions differentiated banks in the form of Local Area Banks, Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks have been valued additions. Two brilliant facts and figures showcasing the growth of banks in India are as under:(a) In 1952, there were just 4061 branches of scheduled commercial banks in India, which rose to 1,50,248 branches by the end of 2020-21 with 2,38,558 ATMs and 11,90,425 banking outlets through Banking Correspondents.(b) In 1952, the total deposits and credits of all scheduled commercial banks were Rs. 882 crore and Rs. 547 crore respectively. By the end of FY 2020, they rose to (Deposits) Rs. 1,55,90,600 crore and (Credit) Rs. 1,08,20,208 crore respectively.All these make for an amazing story of the progress of banks and banking in India. It can be aptly said that banking in India is now new age banking. This book is an attempt to capture this glorious story – the origin and development of banking in India with all its vivacity, its challenges and achievements, its issues as well as its successes. It elaborates this narrative in a simple and lucid style, supported by statistics from authentic sources; mostly from the vast database that the Reserve Bank of India has kept on placing in the public domain.