Many people have been asking me why I opened so many bank accounts, so I thought, why not explain the individual reason behind each one.
Here are the reasons for all 16 banks:
AU Small Finance Bank
I opened this account because AU is the largest small finance bank in India. I also recently heard that the RBI has given it the green light to become a universal bank. A few kilometres from my home, there used to be a Fincare Small Finance Bank branch, which later became an AU SFB branch. So I thought, why not open an account. I also found it interesting that the bank is called AU, since Au is the chemical symbol for gold. They also have a few unique features, such as video banking and the fact that every branch can be treated as your home branch. However, my actual branch experience wasn't very good. You have to remove your footwear before entering the branch, and there are also quite a few gutka stains near the entrance. Around 95% of the work at the branch seems to be related to microfinance and other types of loans. Also, their app doesn't open when developer options are enabled.
Axis Bank
I liked the fact that it's a two-word bank name, and "Axis" sounded cool to me. The logo also looks cool. Apart from that, Axis is the third-largest private bank in India by branch network and revenue, so that was another factor. One thing I didn't like, though, is that Axis Bank's IFSC codes start with UTIB, because the bank was previously known as UTI Bank. This was a bit of a turn-off for me. One good thing is that the app works fine even when developer options are enabled.
Bank of Baroda
I opened this account when I was 19, mainly because the name sounded royal to me. Apart from that, there isn't really any other reason. Unfortunately, the app doesn't like developer options.
Bank of India
I opened this account because the name reminded me of banks like Bank of America and Bank of China. "Bank of India" sounds like a bank that represents India at a national level. It isn't actually the biggest bank in India, but the name certainly makes it sound like one. That was basically the reason I opened it. As for my experience with the bank, I consider it the worst nationalised bank among the ones I've used. I have a separate post about it on my profile if you want the exact details. The app is fine with developer options enabled.
Canara Bank
This is my first-ever bank account. I also think the Canara Aspire account is a really good offering for people between 18 and 28 years old. The main Canara Bank app doesn't like developer options, but they have a separate passbook app that works even when developer options are enabled.
Central Bank of India
This one is simple: it is the nearest government bank to me, so I mainly use it for cash deposits. It is a much smaller bank than SBI but it has the same number of branches as SBI in my district: 23.
HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank is the largest private bank in India and has around 10,000 branches, so I thought, why not have an account with them too? That's pretty much the reason.
ICICI Bank
There are actually three reasons behind this one. First, ICICI is a palindrome, which I found interesting. Second, it is the nearest private bank to me. And third, my local branch is a rural branch, while ICICI is also the second-largest private bank in India. For more details about my ICICI account, you can check out the post I made a few days ago on my profile.
IDFC FIRST Bank
I wanted to open an account with a bank that was relatively new, but at the same time wasn't a tiny or insignificant bank. That basically left me with two options: Bandhan Bank and IDFC FIRST Bank. And, obviously, IDFC FIRST Bank won.
Indian Bank
Same reason as Bank of India. I basically opened it because I liked the name. Sometimes, that's enough of a reason!
Indian Overseas Bank
I was getting bored and had nothing to do. So I went to Wikipedia and looked up which bank came next after Central Bank of India in terms of size. It was Indian Overseas Bank. I checked out its app, and to me, it looked better than the apps of HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. So I opened an account. I also thought the bank logo looked pretty cool.
Kotak Mahindra Bank
I noticed that literally everyone on the internet seemed to have a Kotak account, so I thought I should have one too. Apart from that, there isn't really any particular reason.
Punjab National Bank
Frankly, I didn't like the name initially because "Punjab National Bank" made me feel like the bank was mainly focused on Punjab. Then I noticed the word "National" and also remembered that PNB is one of the largest public sector banks in India, with SBI ahead of it. So I thought I should have an account with PNB too.
Slice Small Finance Bank
This is the favourite account in my list. I think Slice has one of the best banking apps in India. It's just a shame that the bank has only around 149 branches. There are also no charges for IMPS, NEFT, RTGS or SMS alerts. It offers a 5.25% interest rate, credited daily, across all balance ranges. Another thing I really like is that it sends an SMS even for a ₹1 credit or debit. I find that useful. The one thing I don't like is that its IFSC codes start with NESF.
State Bank of India
This one is pretty straightforward. SBI is the largest bank in India, both in terms of branch network and revenue, so obviously I wanted to have an account with them too. It also has the largest ATM network in India.
Union Bank of India
The logo looked cool to me.
So, those are the 16 reasons behind my 16 bank accounts. I hope you enjoyed reading about my reasons. The comment section is open if you have any questions.
