India, Sept. 24 -- Banks are widely regarded as guardians of wealth and engines of commerce. This is why the oldest banks in the world, which are still operational today, have a special standing as enduring institutions of human history. All of them shaped the countries in which they were founded and helped in the prosperity of the societies within which they functioned.

The institutions primarily provide loans, safeguard deposits and offer clearing services. Some of them are private banks, while others are public. Then there are merchant banks, which deal with businesses, commercial banks, which deal directly with the general public, and central banks, which act as the monetary authorities of their countries. The oldest banks in the wor...