Syndicate Bank was one of the oldest major commercial banks in India. It was founded by Tonse Upendra Ananth Pai, T. M. A. Pai and Vaman Srinivas Kudva. At the time of its establishment, the bank was known as Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited. The bank, along with 13 major commercial banks of India, was nationalised on 19 July 1969, by the government of India. It was headquartered in the university town of Manipal, India. On 1 April 2020, the bank was merged into Canara Bank.
History
1925 1974
Syndicate Bank was founded in 1925 in Manipal, Udupi, Madras Presidency, British India. The promoters came from a lower-middle-class background and aimed to improve the socioeconomic status of the region. It was the only Indian bank with its headquarters in a rural area. The bank provided employment opportunities to the educated members of the local community. It had an initial paid-up capital of ₹8000. It was unlike other banks which primarily financed trade and industries in urban areas. So as a new bank, Syndicate Bank decided to exploit the untapped small and medium enterprise and the agriculture sector.[2]