Banking System

India, being one of the fastest growing economies in the world today has a very extensive network of both public and private sector banks. 

The banking system in India is comparable to the best in the world, and covers the entire gamut of banking services from deposits to investment banking to currency exchange.

 Wherever you may be in India, you are never far from an ATM (there are over 80,000 of them all over India). Most are affiliated to MasterCard and Visa. 

Debit/ Credit cards are accepted at major travel agencies, airlines, private hospitals, most hotels (except low budget ones), speciality restaurants, supermarkets and large stores.

Customer banking hours in India is between 9.30 am to 2.30 pm. On Saturdays banks are open up to 12.30 pm. Some branches of public sector banks in certain places are open on Sundays and closed on Mondays. 

Most private banks are open to customers up to 3.00 pm during weekdays and 12.30 pm on Saturdays.

Most major foreign banks have been operating in India for a long time and your bank should be able to provide you with a list of branches in India and other details.

These banks operate in major cities only so please inquire about their locations in India if you need to avail of their services here.

Major banks in India include:

State Bank Of India (SBI)
Bank Of Baroda
ICICI Bank
Punjab National Bank
Bank Of India
HDFC Bank
Canara Bank
Axis Bank
Union Bank Of India
IDBI Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Indusind Bank
Yes Bank
Syndicate Bank
Vijaya Bank
Andhra Bank

Foreign Banks operating in India include:

Deutshe Bank
BNP Paribas
Credit Agricole
Societe Generale
Bank Of America
Citibank
J.P Morgan Chase Bank
Goldman Sachs
HSBC
Barclays
Standard Chartered Bank
Bank Of Nova Scotia
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
Bank Of Ceylon
Credit Suisse
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
National Australia Bank
FirstRand Bank
DBS Bank
Mashreq Bank
RaboBank
Industrial and Commercial Bank Of China
Shinhan Bank
Woori Bank
Doha Bank
Qatar National Bank
UBS AG
Krung Thai Bank
Antwerp Diamond Bank

Airtel makes it easy to make payments in India as a foreigner:

It’s just become easier to make online payments in India as a foreigner. India’s largest mobile provider, Airtel, has just rolled out Airtel Payments Bank, a mobile wallet of sorts.

The great thing about the Airtel Payments Bank is that it basically gives you an online Indian debit card. The moment you deposit money in your Airtel Account, which can be done at a myriad of Airtel Stores throughout the country, you can start paying for things online using this debit card.

How to pay online in India as a foreigner with Airtel Money:

Get an Airtel sim card/phone number at any Airtel showroom. There’s also an Airtel stand right outside arrivals in the Delhi airport.

Download the My Airtel app (Android, iOS). Use a VPN and set your location to India if you’re having problems finding it in the app store.

Set up the My Airtel app.

Register for the Airtel Money Payments Bank through the wallet icon in the top right corner of the 

My Airtel app. It should take less than a minute.

Load Airtel money onto your sim card with cash. You can do this at any official Airtel store in India. 

Some have automatic payment machines, others you might have to convince the customer service rep to help you out.

Use the debit card number from your Airtel Payments Bank for all your future online purchases.

Travellers cheques are a thing of the past and most banks in your own country dont even issue them anymore. They are also not widely accepted.

There are over 200,000 ATM's in cities and towns  across the country.