Axis Bank established in 1993 was the first of the new private banks to have begun operations in 1994 after the Government of India allowed new private banks to be established. Axis Bank Ltd. has been promoted by the largest and the best Financial Institution of the country, UTI. The Bank was set up with a capital of Rs. 115 crore, with UTI contributing Rs. 100 crore, LIC – Rs. 7.5 crore and GIC and its four subsidiaries contributing Rs. 1.5 crore each.Axis Bank is one of the first new generation private sector banks to have begun operations in 1994. The Bank was promoted in 1993, jointly by Specified Undertaking of Unit Trust of India (SUUTI) (then known as Unit Trust of India),Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC), National Insurance Company Ltd., The New India Assurance Company Ltd., The Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. and United India Insurance Company Ltd. The shareholding of Unit Trust of India was subsequently transferred to SUUTI, an entity established in 2003.

Erstwhile Unit Trust of India was set up as a body corporate under the UTI Act, 1963, with a view to encourage savings and investment. In December 2002, the UTI Act, 1963 was repealed with the passage of Unit Trust of India (Transfer of Undertaking and Repeal) Act, 2002 by the Parliament, paving the way for the bifurcation of UTI into 2 entities, UTI–I and UTI–II with effect from 1st February 2003. In accordance with the Act, the Undertaking specified as UTI I has been transferred and vested in the Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), who manages assured return schemes along with 6.75% US–64 Bonds, 6.60% ARS Bonds with a Unit Capital of over Rs. 14167.59 crores.

The Bank has strengths in both retail and corporate banking and is committed to adopting the best industry practices internationally in order to achieve excellence.

Axis Bank entered a deal in November 2010 to buy the investment banking and equities units of Enam Securities for $456 million. Axis Securities, the equities arm of Axis Bank, will merge with the investment banking business of Enam Securities.As per the deal, Enam will demerge its investment banking, institutional equities, retail equities and distribution of financial products, and non–banking finance businesses and merge them with Axis Securities.