Mumbai: Standard Chartered Bank, India's first and largest international bank, is celebrating its 150th anniversary of its operations in India.

Standard Chartered, which started as The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, had opened its first branch in Kolkata in April 1858. Today, it has operations in over 70 countries, and leads the way in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

In India, Standard Chartered has 83 branches across 33 cities, which services 1,500 Indian corporations, and 2.1 million retail clients. Besides being crucial to its operations, India is the top contributor to the Standard Chartered Group's profits, and houses the largest unit of the group's service and operations hub, Scope International, that employs over a quarter of the bank's 73,000 people.

Peter Sands, group chief executive officer, Standard Chartered Plc, said, ''Standard Chartered is honoured to have been associated with India over the past 150 years, witnessing and participating in the nation's emergence as a political and economic giant. Nothing conveys the solidity of our commitment more strongly than our being here for this long. We have continuously invested in India over the years in our people, products, infrastructure and technology. We are committed to being the Right Partner to our customers, our people, the community, and the regulators.''

Standard Chartered Bank has invested another $250 million in its Indian banking operations, taking the total capital base to $1.9 billion.

The capital infusion bolsters the bank's capital adequacy and supports the growth of the wholesale and consumer banking services, including key recent initiatives that have widened the scope and quality of its services such as micro-finance, private banking, and mobile banking.

Standard Chartered is setting up a $500 million micro-finance facility that will touch an estimated 4 million people in emerging markets. In India, the bank is aiming to partner with over 20 micro-finance institutions by December 2008, and extend operations to the North and North East, which are relatively untouched by the banking industry. It also wants to extend its capital market capabilities to micro-finance institutions.

Standard Chartered acquired American Express Bank and launched Standard Chartered Private Bank in 2007.  Experienced relationship managers, and a strong portfolio of clients across a number of key centres has given the bank's business critical mass needed to become a leader in the sector. The acquisition of brokerage Standard Chartered STCI Capital Markets support the growth of this business because of its equities trading capability.

Standard Chartered Bank says that it is investing in technology solutions to enhance customer experience, such as the recently launched suite of mobile banking solutions including mobile remittances, which is an instantaneous funds transfer facility. Its technology endeavours will see the bank go beyond SMS-based solutions, with soon to be launched Java-based solutions, which are faster and more secure.

Added Sands, ''As we look to the future, we see India as central to Standard Chartered's strategy. It is a big part of our business today, and will hold this place in the decades ahead given its huge potential. We will continue to invest in growth, build new relationships, hire more people, develop new products and build on our position as one of India's leading banks.''

Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The London-headquartered group has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The bank's income and number of employees have more than doubled over the past five years,  primarily as a result of organic growth, supplemented by acquisitions. Standard Chartered currently employs 73,000 people, representing 115 nationalities, in more than 1,700 branches and outlets located in over 70 countries.

The bank derives more than 90 per cent of its operating income and profits from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with balanced income derived from both Wholesale and Consumer Banking.

In India, Standard Chartered is the largest international bank, with 83 branches across 33 cities. It employs around 19,000 people.