The idea of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) was established by the Govt. of India in the year 1975 to bring about the desired uplift of the rural economy and accordingly promulgated an Ordinance which was subsequently replaced by the Parliament as Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976.

In Assam all together five RRBs were opened at different point of time beginning with Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank. The pro-active attitude and the rural bias of these banks culminated not only in the creation of thrift habit among the rural masses but also in the dispensation of credit to such people mostly for priority sector activities.

Govt. of India vide Notification No. F.1. (25)/2005 dated 12th January 2006 amalgamated the four Regional Rural Banks sponsored by the United Bank of India in the state of Assam to form Assam Gramin Vikash Bank (AGVB). The erstwhile RRBs amalgamated were

• Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank (Estd. 06-07-1976)
• Lakhimi Gaonlia Bank (Estd. 29-07-1980)
• Cachar Gramin Bank (Estd. 31-03-1981) and
• Subansiri Gaonlia Bank (Estd. 30-03-1982)

 Thereafter vide Government of India notification no. 854 dated 22nd February 2019 Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank (Sponsored by State Bank of India) and Assam Gramin Vikash Bank have been amalgamated with sponsorship of United Bank of India. Thus Assam Gramin Vikash Bank (AGVB) covers the entire geographical area of the state through its strong network of 463 branches. Further after amalgamation of United Bank of India with Punjab National Bank, the sponsorship of the bank has gone to Punjab National Bank w.e.f 1st April 2020.

While AGVB’s genesis has its roots in the interest of the customers, stakeholders and the staff, the broader objectives of the amalgamation are:

• Better customer service from better infrastructure, modern technology including implementation of Core Banking Solution (CBS), pool of experienced work force, unified publicity and marketing efforts.
• Reaping economies of scale with larger area of operation, enhanced credit exposure limits.
• Opportunities for diverse banking activities, leading to higher business growth.

Following that, as per the Gazette notification from the Department of Financial Services (DFS) dated 23rd October, 2025, under the powers given by the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, the Central Government, at the request of Punjab National Bank (PNB), has officially changed the name of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank to Assam Gramin Bank.

This change is more than just a name update. It helps align Assam Gramin Bank with other regional rural banks (RRBs) that now have a uniform identity and logo, which makes them more recognizable and trusted.

Henceforth, it is noteworthy that the metamorphosis of the different RRBs, into a single large entity with shared culture has been extremely smooth. This change gives the bank a uniform identity with other RRBs, making it more recognizable and trusted, and helping it serve rural communities and support the upliftment of the poor more effectively.