The news desk

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256 of 256 tracker events have stories — the desk publishes hourly. Too fast? Pulse is the monthly rollup →

HSBC installs India's first ATM in Mumbai

HSBC gave India its first ATM in 1987, in Andheri, Mumbai — replacing the teller queue with 24x7 cash from a machine. Roughly 1,500 ATMs followed over the next decade.

Andhra Bank issues India's first Visa-branded credit card

A year after Centralcard, Andhra Bank launched India's first Visa-branded credit card in 1981, plugging Indian plastic into a global network brand for the first time. Merchant acceptance finally started to widen.

Centralcard launches — India's first credit card

Central Bank of India launched Centralcard in 1980, India's first credit card, marking the start of revolving credit on plastic in the country. This launch paved the way for future credit card issuance in India.

Diners Club enters India — 20 years ahead

Diners Club launched in India in 1961, nearly two decades before the first Indian bank-issued card, with invitation-only charge cards. This marked the beginning of the credit card era in India.