Misplaced Pages

The General Bank of Bengal and Bihar (alternate spelling: General Bank of Bengal and Bahar) was a bank in British India that operated between 1773 and 1775.

It was founded in the year 1773 when India was under control of the East India Company. The bank was the fourth oldest bank in India. The bank became defunct March 31st, 1775 having operated for only two years.

History

Founding

The bank was established in 1773 by Warren Hastings, the first Viceroy of India.

During the early years of the British rule in India, a need was felt for a bank that would service the British employees of the East India Company. Many banks were founded as a result, and the General Bank of Bengal and Bihar was one such bank.

Management

Although the bank was largely a private bank, it enjoyed patronage from the then government of India, the East India Company.

The bank was staffed by mostly British nationals who were drawn mainly from the East India Company.

Final Years

The bank lasted in business for only two years and was finally closed in 1775.

The bank also issued its own currency notes in its two years of existence.

Legacy

The bank is notable for being the fourth oldest bank in India. It is also notable for being one of the first institutions in India to issue its own paper banknotes or currency notes.

The ability of private banks to issue their own currency notes was taken away by The Paper Currency Act, 1861.

See also

• Indian banking
• List of banks in India
• List of oldest banks in India

References

1. ^ "Reserve Bank of India - Museum". rbi.org.in.
2. ^ "Early Bank Notes | Old Currency Bank Notes | Rare Bank Notes | Mintage World". www.mintageworld.com.
3. "Evolution of the Indian banking System" (PDF). old.amu.ac.in. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
4. "Building an Indian bank: PNB's Swadeshi roots". Hindustan Times. 7 April 2018.
5. "Reserve Bank of India". www.rbi.org.in.
6. "Reserve Bank of India - Museum". rbi.org.in.

External links

• History of the Bank
• Banking in India

v t e Banking in India
Institutes	Central bank v t e Reserve Bank of India Regulation Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 Monetary Policy Committee People Governor of the Reserve Bank of India Deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India Buildings Reserve Bank of India Staff College RBI Monetary Museum Subsidiaries Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Think tanks BBB BCSBI NPCI IBA IDRBT Speciality banks IFCI All India Financial Institutions : Exim Bank of India NABARD NaBFID NHB SIDBI Other BIFR IBBI IBPS Deposit Insurance (DICGC)
Public-sector banks	Bank of Baroda Bank of India Bank of Maharashtra Canara Bank Central Bank of India Indian Bank Indian Overseas Bank Jammu & Kashmir Bank Punjab & Sind Bank Punjab National Bank State Bank of India UCO Bank Union Bank of India
Private-sector banks	Axis Bank Bandhan Bank CSB Bank City Union Bank DCB Bank Dhanlaxmi Bank Federal Bank HDFC Bank ICICI Bank IDBI Bank IDFC First Bank IndusInd Bank Karnataka Bank Karur Vysya Bank Kotak Mahindra Bank Nainital Bank RBL Bank South Indian Bank Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Yes Bank
Foreign banks	Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank ANZ Bank Maybank Indonesia Bank of America Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait Bank of Ceylon Barclays Credit Suisse CTBC Bank Deutsche Bank HSBC Maybank MUFJ Rabobank Scotiabank Standard Chartered India Wholly owned subsidiary (WOS) DBS Bank State Bank of Mauritius Wound up/closed (or in process) Antwerp Diamond Bank Citibank
Small finance banks	AU Fincare Capital ESAF Equitas Jana North East Suryoday Ujjivan Unity
Payments banks	Airtel Fino National Securities Depository India Post Jio Paytm Surrendered licencees or wound up Aditya Birla Vodafone M-Pesa Tech Mahindra
Cooperative banks	Abhyudaya Co-operative Bank. Buldana Urban Cooperative Credit Society Cosmos Bank Dombivli Nagari Sahakari Bank Kerala Bank Mizoram Co-operative Apex Bank Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank Repco Bank Saraswat Bank Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank TNSC Bank Thane Janata Sahakari Bank
Regional rural banks	Assam Gramin Vikash Bank Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank Karnataka Gramin Bank Mizoram Rural Bank Paschim Banga Gramin Bank Puduvai Bharathiar Grama Bank Tamil Nadu Grama Bank Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank Uttarakhand Gramin Bank Vananchal Gramin Bank Andhra Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank Kerala Kerala Gramin Bank North Malabar Gramin Bank South Malabar Gramin Bank Uttar Pradesh Allahabad UP Gramin Bank Gramin Bank of Aryavart Sarva UP Gramin Bank
Defunct banks	Merged PSB New Bank of India Dena Bank Vijaya Bank Allahabad Bank Andhra Bank Corporation Bank Oriental Bank of Commerce United Bank of India Syndicate Bank SBI Bank of Bombay Bank of Calcutta Bank of Madras Imperial Bank of India State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur State Bank of Hyderabad State Bank of Indore State Bank of Mysore State Bank of Patiala State Bank of Saurashtra State Bank of Travancore Bharatiya Mahila Bank Krishnaram Baldeo Bank Kashinath Seth Bank Rescued Global Trust Bank (OBC) Lakshmi Vilas Bank (DBS) Nedungadi Bank (PNB) United Western Bank (IDBI) United Industrial Bank (Allahabad Bank) Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (Unity SFB) Acquired Bank of Madura Bank of Rajasthan Bengal Central Bank Centurion Bank of Punjab Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China Grindlays Bank National Bank of India ING Vysya Bank Mercantile Bank of India, London and China Lord Krishna Bank Times Bank Vysya Bank PSB Bharat Overseas Bank Pandyan Bank Wound up Bank of Chettinad Dass Bank Failed Alliance Bank of Simla Arbuthnot & Co Commercial Bank of India Exchange Bank of India & Africa (New) Oriental Bank Corporation Oudh Commercial Bank Madhavpura Mercantile Cooperative Bank Liquidated Bengal Bank (1784) Bank of Bombay (1720) Bank of Hindostan General Bank of India General Bank of Bengal and Bihar Nath Bank Palai Central Bank The Commercial Bank (1819) The Calcutta Bank (1824) The Union Bank (1828) The Government Savings Bank (1833) The Bank of Mirzapore (1835) Travancore National and Quilon Bank
Networks	Interbank networks Cirrus NFS PLUS ATM networks BANCS Cashnet CashTree MITR
Cards	Mastercard Debit Mastercard Maestro RuPay Visa Visa Debit Visa Electron
Online transfers	AEPS BBPS BHIM IMPS NEFT RTGS UPI
Payment service providers	Atom BHIM BillDesk CCAvenue Juspay Paytm Wibmo Zeta India Digital wallets Amazon Pay BharatPe Freecharge Google Pay Mobikwik Oxigen Services Payoneer PayU Payworld PhonePe
Related topics	ATM usage fees Bank run Black money Counterfeit money De-materialisation (de-mat) Demonetisation 2016 Low denomination coins Foreign exchange (ForEx) Lists: List of banks List of oldest banks in India Protocol and codes Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) Indian Financial System Code (IFSC) National Unified USSD Platform (NUUP) Structured Financial Messaging System (SFMS) Rates & ratios Rates Bank rate Mumbai Inter-Bank Bid Rate - MIBID/Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate - MIBOR Mumbai Interbank Forward Offer Rate - MIFOR Ratios Capital Adequacy Ratio - CAR Statutory Liquidity Ratio - SLR Cash Reserve Ratio - CRR Regulators Insurance - IRDAI Banking - RBI Securities - SEBI Bankruptcy - IBBI Insolvency, bankruptcy and reconstruction Boards BIFR IBBI CERSAI Legislation IBC SARFESI Act Companies ARCIL Edelweiss ARC IAMCL Legislation Banking Regulation Act, 1949 Government Securities Act, 2006 IBC, 2016 NaBFID, 2021 RBI Act, 1934 SARFESI Act, 2002 Income-tax Act, 1961 Companies Act, 2013 Insurance Act, 1938 FEMA, 1999 Tribunals Company Law - NCLT Appellate - NCLAT Measures Prompt Corrective Action Other Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Mumbai Consensus

• Defunct banks of India
• Companies based in Kolkata
• Banks established in 1773