The banking industry in India began in 1786 with the establishment of the General Bank of India. Several other banks were founded throughout the 1800s, and the Reserve Bank of India was established in 1949 to regulate the banking sector. Banks in India perform commercial, industrial, and agricultural financing functions, and can be public, private, or cooperative. The document outlines the primary and secondary activities of banks, various bank deposits and loans, stages of nationalization, current statistics on banks in India, and provides overviews of the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and Bank of India.