"May It Prosper": Uday Kotak Shares Emotional Note On 40 Years Of Kotak Mahindra Bank

Kotak Mahindra Bank founder Uday Kotak marked a major milestone on Friday, reflecting on the institution's four-decade journey from a small office in Mumbai to one of India's leading private-sector banks.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he recalled how his venture began modestly. He wrote: “40 years ago today, I started a company with Rs 30 lakh capital, in a 300 sq ft office in Fort, Mumbai.”

He added that the firm he launched in 1985 eventually evolved into Kotak Mahindra Bank, which he led for nearly four decades. As he put it, “Today that company, which I ran for 38 years, is Kotak Mahindra Bank.”

The post also carried a celebratory tone as Kotak wished the institution well for the future, writing, “As this Indian institution navigates changing times, may it prosper.”

Signing off with the line “Happy Birthday… tum jiyo hazaaro saal,” Kotak extended a heartfelt wish for the bank's longevity. 

Uday Kotak also shared a photo collage capturing moments from over the years. In one of the images, he is seen with industrialist Anand Mahindra and late Hindi film actor Vinod Khanna.

Here's the post:

40 years ago today, I started a company with ₹30 lakh capital, in a 300 sq ft office in Fort, Mumbai. Today that company, which I ran for 38 years, is Kotak Mahindra Bank. As this Indian institution navigates changing times, may it prosper. Happy Birthday…tum jiyo hazaaro saal. pic.twitter.com/NYnZgPH3lb

— Uday Kotak (@udaykotak) November 21, 2025

Uday Kotak's Wealth And Career Milestones

According to Forbes, Uday Kotak's net worth stands at $15 billion as of November 21, 2025, placing him at 170th position on the global rich list.

Kotak, who chose not to enter his family's trading business, set up a finance firm in 1985 and later transformed it into a bank in 2003. Kotak Mahindra Bank has since grown into one of India's top four private-sector lenders, strengthened further by its 2014 acquisition of ING Bank's Indian operations.

In 2023, Uday Kotak stepped down as the bank's CEO and managing director, four months before his scheduled retirement. Now, he serves as a non-executive director on the board. 

The institution is currently led by Ashok Vaswani, who has worked at Citibank and Barclays in the past. Uday Kotak's son, Jay Kotak, a Harvard Business School graduate, holds the position of vice president and co-head of the Kotak811 digital banking division.

In 2024, the bank sold a 70% stake in its general insurance business to Zurich Insurance for $640 million, forming the Zurich Kotak General Insurance joint venture.