Headquartered in Mumbai, HDFC Bank Limited is the fifth largest bank in India by assets. India’s secondlargest private-sector lender, HDFC Bank has been growing fast since its inception. Incorporated in 1994, HDFC Bank currently has a nationwide network of 3,600 Branches and 11,515 ATMs in 2,272 Indian towns and cities.

BLAZE TO BRILLIANCE
The Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) was amongst the first to receive an ‘in principle’ approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a bank in the private sector as part of the RBI’s liberalisation of the Indian banking industry in 1994. The bank was incorporated in August 1994 in the name of ‘HDFC Bank Limited’, with its registered office in Mumbai, India. It commenced operations as a Scheduled Commercial Bank in January 1995.
FAITH FACTOR
The bank has three main product areas: foreign exchange and derivatives, local currency money market, debt securities and equities. These services are provided through the bank’s treasury team. To comply with statutory reserve requirements, the bank is required to hold 25 per cent of its deposits in the government securities. The treasury business is responsible for managing the returns and market risk on this investment portfolio.
ENGAGEMENT THAT ENTHRALS
As on March 31, 2014 the authorized share capital of the Bank is Rs 5.50 billion. The HDFC Group holds 22.64 per cent of the bank’s equity and about 16.97 per cent of the equity is held by the ADS/GDR depositories (in respect of the bank’s American Depository Shares (ADS) and Global Depository Receipts (GDR) Issues). Around 34.11 per cent of the equity is held by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) and the bank has 4,22,314 shareholders.
INNOVEDGE
HDFC Bank was the first bank in India to launch an International Debit Card in association with VISA (Visa Electron). The bank also issues the MasterCard Maestro debit card. The bank launched its credit card business in 2001. By the end of June 2013, it had a credit card base of 5.94 million.
By March 2012, the bank had a total card base (debit and credit cards) of over 19.7 million. The Bank is also one of the leading players in the “merchant acquiring” business with over 240,000 point-of-sale (POS) terminals for debit/ credit cards acceptance at merchant establishments.
The Bank is positioned in various net based B2C opportunities including a wide range of internet banking services for fixed deposits, loans, bill payments etc.
BRAND EQUITY
HDFC has single-minded focus on product quality and service excellence which has helped the bank garner the appreciation of both national and international organisations. The Bank’s expansion plans take into account the need to have a presence in all the major industrial and commercial centres where its corporate customers are located, as well as the need to build a strong retail customer base for both deposits and loan products.
Being a clearing/settlement bank to various leading stock exchanges, the bank has branches in centres where the NSE/BSE have a strong and active member base.