Reliance Capital Limited (RCL) was incorporated in year 1986 at Ahmedabad in Gujarat as Reliance Capital & Finance Trust Limited. The name RCL came into effect from January 5, 1995. In 2002, RCL shifted its registered office to Jamnagar in Gujarat before it finally moved to Mumbai in Maharashtra, in 2006. In 2006, Reliance Capital Ventures Limited merged with RCL and with this merger the shareholder base of RCL rose from 0.15 million shareholders to 1.3 million.
RCL entered the Capital Market with a maiden public issue in 1990 and in subsequent years further tapped the capital market through rights issue and public issues. The equity shares were initially listed on the Ahmedabad and Bombay Stock Exchange. Presently the shares are listed on The BSE Ltd. and the National Stock Exchange of India. RCL in the initial years engaged itself in steady annuity yielding businesses such as leasing, bill discounting, and inter-corporate deposits. Later, in 1993 diversified its business in the areas of portfolio investment, lending against securities, custodial services, money market operations, project finance advisory services and investment banking.
RCL obtained its registration as a Non-banking Finance Company (NBFC) in December 1998. RCL has since diversified its activities in the areas of asset management and mutual fund; life and general insurance; commercial finance and industrial finance; stock broking; depository services; proprietary investments; asset reconstruction; distribution of financial products and other activities in financial services.