Low cost and effective transition metal based catalysts are critical to the development of hydrogen generation techniques. In this paper, a multifunctional nanosized Co-B-O material has been developed that can act as highly active catalyst for both hydrolytic and electrolytic hydrogen production, affording a hydrogen generation rate of 7.45 L min(-1) g(-1) for hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4), and 10 mA cm(-2) water-splitting current at overpotentials of 270 mV and 305 mV for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH. Meanwhile, oxygen doping is found to be critical to the activity of Co-B-O catalyst. This work will benefit the rational design of metal boride based material as highly active hydrolysis and electrolysis catalyst for hydrogen generation. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.