India’s financial firsts: From first bank to first unicorn

SEPTEMBER 1, 2026

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From the establishment of the BSE to the launch of India’s first credit card, here are six firsts of the Indian financial system.

First bank

Bank of Hindustan, founded in Kolkata, is considered to be India’s first modern bank. It shut down its operations in 1832.

First stock exchange

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), established in 1875, is also Asia’s oldest bourse. It began with traders meeting under a banyan tree in Mumbai.

First mutual fund institution

The Unit Trust of India (UTI) was established in 1963 by an Act of Parliament and functioned under the regulatory and administrative control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

First credit card

The first credit card in India was the Centralcard, launched by the Central Bank of India in 1980.

First ATM

HSBC installed the first automated teller machine (ATM) in India in 1987 at its branch in Andheri East, Mumbai.

First unicorn

In 2011, InMobi became India’s first unicorn. A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion.

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