Public sector banks on Monday presented dividend cheques worth more than Rs 9,400 crore to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the financial year 2025-26. Among the lenders, Bank of Baroda handed over a dividend cheque of Rs 2,811 crore to the Finance Minister for the financial year ended March 31, 2026.
The cheque was presented by the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Debadatta Chand, in the presence of Department of Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Lohiya and the bank’s executive directors. The dividend payout follows a landmark year for Bank of Baroda, which reported its highest-ever standalone net profit of Rs 20,021 crore in FY26, becoming the first year in which the bank crossed the Rs 20,000-crore profit milestone.
The bank’s global business also exceeded Rs 30 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026. For FY26, Bank of Baroda declared a dividend of Rs 8.50 per equity share, equivalent to 425 per cent of the face value of Rs 2 per share. Finance Minister Sitharaman also received a dividend cheque of Rs 2,416 crore from Punjab National Bank.
The cheque was handed over by the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ashok Chandra. Canara Bank presented a dividend cheque of Rs 2,397 crore to the Finance Minister for FY26. The cheque was handed over by the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Brajesh Kumar Singh.
Indian Bank also contributed to the dividend payout, with its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Binod Kumar, presenting a cheque worth Rs 1,815 crore for the financial year 2025-26. The dividend payments by the public sector banks come after a year of robust earnings growth, improved asset quality and stronger balance sheets, enabling lenders to enhance returns to the government, which remains the majority shareholder in these institutions.