Bank of Baroda (BoB) is an Indian public sector multinational banking and financial services institution. Headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat, with its corporate office in Mumbai, it is one of the largest commercial banks in India by assets, branch network and customer base. The bank is owned by the Government of India and offers a wide range of retail, corporate, international and treasury banking services.
| Type | Public sector undertaking |
|---|---|
| Industry | Banking, financial services |
| Founded | 20 July 1908, Baroda (now Vadodara) |
| Founder | Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III |
| Headquarters | Vadodara, Gujarat, India |
| Corporate office | Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai |
| Owner | Government of India |
| Nationalised | 19 July 1969 |
| Tagline | India's International Bank |
Bank of Baroda was established in 1908 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of the princely state of Baroda. It was set up as part of a broader effort to develop modern financial and industrial institutions in the state, alongside ventures such as the Baroda State Library system and the Bank of Baroda's contemporary, the Maharaja Sayajirao University. The bank began operations from a building in Mandvi, Baroda, with a small initial capital subscribed largely by local merchants and the ruler.
During its first decades, the bank expanded steadily across Gujarat and into Bombay, Ahmedabad and other commercial centres of western India. It survived the financial turbulence of the inter-war period and the partition era, gradually building a reputation as a conservative and stable institution.
On 19 July 1969, Bank of Baroda was among the fourteen major Indian commercial banks nationalised by the Government of India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Following nationalisation, the bank rapidly expanded its branch network into rural and semi-urban India in line with national priorities of social banking, agricultural credit and priority sector lending.
The bank also developed a substantial overseas presence beginning in the 1950s, with offices in East Africa, the United Kingdom, the Persian Gulf and other regions serving the Indian diaspora and trade flows. This international footprint led to its long-standing positioning as "India's International Bank".
Bank of Baroda has absorbed several smaller institutions over the years. Earlier acquisitions included the Hind Bank, the New Citizen Bank of India, the Surat Banking Corporation, Tamil Nadu Central Bank, Umbergaon People's Bank, Traders Bank, Bareilly Corporation Bank, Benares State Bank, South Gujarat Local Area Bank and the Memon Cooperative Bank, among others.
In a major consolidation announced by the Government of India in 2018, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank were merged into Bank of Baroda. The merger came into effect on 1 April 2019, creating what was then the third-largest bank in India by assets.
The bank operates through a wide branch and ATM network across India and maintains overseas branches, subsidiaries and representative offices in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Singapore, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Fiji, Mauritius, Botswana and New Zealand. Its international subsidiaries operate as locally incorporated banks in some of these jurisdictions.
Domestically, BoB provides retail banking, corporate banking, MSME finance, agricultural and rural finance, wealth management, credit cards, and treasury services. It also operates digital channels including the bob World mobile banking platform and internet banking services.
The bank's logo, introduced in a redesign during the 2000s, depicts the "Baroda Sun", a stylised orange sun-burst symbol intended to represent the bank's diverse stakeholders. The accompanying tagline "India's International Bank" reflects its long international presence.
Bank of Baroda is regarded as one of the systemically important public sector banks in India and plays a substantial role in priority sector lending, financial inclusion programmes, government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, direct benefit transfers and rural credit. As a heritage institution founded by an Indian princely ruler before independence, it is also of historical significance in the development of indigenous banking in India.