Banks are the arteries of any financial system. Their ability to make a positive contribution in igniting the process of growth depends on the effective banking system. It plays a major role in mobilizing the nation’s savings and channelizing them into high investment priorities and better utilization of available resources. Thus, the development of a country is associated with the development of banking. In recent years, there have been considerable pressures on the profitability of banks. Profitability is considered to be an index of financial strength. A business that is not profitable cannot survive. It has become very mandatory to study and make a comparative analysis of public sector bank and private sector bank. This study tries to analyze the profitability performance of Punjab national bank and HDFC Bank for the period 2005-2020. The Profitability performance of a bank is measured by a number of key indicators with reference to Net Interest Margin, Net profit Margin, Return on Assets etc.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Keywords: Profitability, Net Interest Margin, Net Profit Margin, Return on Assets, PNB, HDFC Bank.