Lakshmi Vilas Bank was an Indian private sector bank established in 1926 in Karur, Tamil Nadu. As of November 2020, the bank had 566 branches in 19 states and 1 union territory.[4] On 27 November 2020, the bank was merged into the Indian subsidiary of DBS Bank.
History
Lakshmi Vilas Bank was founded in 1926 by a group of seven businessmen of Karur under the leadership of V. S. N. Ramalinga Chettiar. Their objective was to cater to the financial needs of people in and around Karur who were occupied in trading businesses, industry and agriculture. The bank was incorporated on 3 November 1926 under the Indian Companies Act, 1913, and obtained the certificate to commence business on 10 November 1926. Subsequent to introduction of the Banking Regulations Act, 1949 and Reserve Bank of India as the regulator for the banking sector, the bank obtained its banking license from RBI on 19 June 1958, and on 11 August 1958 it became a 'scheduled commercial bank' signifying capability to operate as a full-fledged commercial bank.
Lakshmi Vilas Bank saw considerable expansion of its branch network during the period of 1961 to 1965, when the bank took over nine other banks. In 1974, the bank started expanding the branch network beyond Tamil Nadu to benefit from opportunities in the pan-Indian market. Thus, branches were established in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, important financial centres such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata as well as in other significant business centres in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, the bank attained the status of Authorized Dealer in foreign exchange in 1976 enabling it to provide full range of services to customers engaged in international trade and to overseas travellers.