Assam Gramin Bank

Assam Gramin Bank is a regional rural bank serving Assam, India. The institution was created through the consolidation of two earlier rural banks: Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank. The amalgamation took effect on 1 April 2019 following a Government of India notification intended to consolidate regional rural banks and improve their operational efficiency, reach, and financial capacity. The bank operates within India’s regional rural banking framework, which was established under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976. Its role is to extend formal banking services to rural and semi-rural communities, including agricultural households, small businesses, self-employed customers, and economically underserved populations. Its typical activities include accepting deposits, providing agricultural and other credit, supporting rural non-farm enterprises, and delivering basic banking and payment services through a branch network across Assam. Assam Gramin Bank’s institutional history reaches back to the first regional rural banks established in Assam during the 1970s and 1980s. The predecessor Assam Gramin Vikash Bank was formed in 2006 by combining four earlier banks sponsored by United Bank of India: Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank, Lakhimi Gaonlia Bank, Cachar Gramin Bank, and Subansiri Gaonlia Bank. Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank, headquartered in Diphu, had been established in 1982 under State Bank of India sponsorship and served the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao areas. Their later combination brought together a broad statewide operating footprint, including communities in the hill districts and other rural parts of Assam. At its creation, the combined institution was known as Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and was sponsored by United Bank of India. When United Bank of India was amalgamated with Punjab National Bank, sponsorship transferred to Punjab National Bank from 1 April 2020. The bank is jointly owned within the standard regional rural bank structure by the Government of India, the Government of Assam, and its sponsor bank, while the Ministry of Finance represents the central-government ownership interest. The bank’s head office is in Guwahati. Reference material describes a three-tier structure consisting of the head office, regional offices, and branches distributed throughout Assam. Regional operations have been associated with locations including Nalbari, Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Silchar, Tezpur, and Diphu. The published descriptions in the supplied material differ on whether the network comprises 463 or 473 branches; the commonly cited figure at the time of the 2019 amalgamation is 473, while another structural description gives 463. Because the current official network figure is not independently established here, no single number is treated as definitive. In October 2025, the Ministry of Finance announced a naming simplification for several regional rural banks. Assam Gramin Vikash Bank was renamed Assam Gramin Bank following a request from its sponsor. The renaming did not change the bank’s functional jurisdiction or operating role. Assam Gramin Bank therefore represents both a current banking brand and the latest identity of a rural-banking institution built through several rounds of consolidation in Assam.

Assam Gramin Bank is the latest institution in a sequence of regional rural banks created to expand formal finance in Assam. India established the regional rural bank system under the Regional Rural Banks Act, 1976, with the objective of combining local knowledge and rural reach with the organizational support of commercial-bank sponsors. Assam’s first RRB, Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank, was established in July 1976 under the sponsorship of United Bank of India. Other predecessor institutions followed, including Lakhimi Gaonlia Bank in 1980, Cachar Gramin Bank in 1981, and Subansiri Gaonlia Bank in 1982. A separate lineage began with Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank, which was created on 27 January 1982 under the Regional Rural Banks Act with State Bank of India as sponsor. Headquartered in Diphu, the bank concentrated on the Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao areas. Its branch network served the geographically distinctive hill districts and included branches in Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao. The Government of India pursued a broad RRB consolidation program from 2005 onward. A central aim was to combine institutions sponsored by the same commercial bank so that they could achieve stronger administration, more efficient operations, and wider capacity to support rural economic activity. Under this process, the four United Bank of India-sponsored Assam banks were amalgamated on 12 January 2006 to create Assam Gramin Vikash Bank. The new bank was headquartered in Guwahati and retained the rural-development mandate associated with the RRB system, including support for agriculture and the rural non-farm sector. The next major restructuring occurred in 2019. Under a Gazette notification dated 22 February 2019, Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank were combined into one regional rural bank. The merged institution began operations on 1 April 2019. It initially operated under the Assam Gramin Vikash Bank name and brought together the former banks’ geographic coverage, including the areas served by Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank. Reference descriptions associate the new institution with a network of approximately 473 branches at formation, although another description gives 463 branches; the supplied sources do not resolve the discrepancy. The bank’s sponsorship changed after United Bank of India was merged into Punjab National Bank. From 1 April 2020, Punjab National Bank became the sponsor. Ownership follows the standard public regional rural bank model, with participation by the Government of India, the Government of Assam, and the sponsor bank. The Ministry of Finance is associated with the central-government ownership role. The institution is headquartered in Guwahati and is organized through a head office, regional offices, and branches distributed across Assam. The cited regional locations include Nalbari, Golaghat, Lakhimpur, Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Kokrajhar, Silchar, Tezpur, and Diphu. Its business purpose is to provide accessible banking for rural and semi-rural customers through deposits, agricultural and other credit, payments, remittances, and related financial services. In October 2025, the Ministry of Finance announced a set of RRB name changes intended to simplify naming and make the institutions more readily identifiable with their states. Assam Gramin Vikash Bank became Assam Gramin Bank after a request from Punjab National Bank. The announcement stated that the renaming did not alter the institution’s functional jurisdiction or operations. The present brand thus reflects a 2019 consolidation, a 2020 change in sponsor following a national bank merger, and a 2025 simplification of the bank’s name.

1. 2025Brand renamed Assam Gramin Bank

   The Ministry of Finance announced the renaming of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank as Assam Gramin Bank, while retaining its operating jurisdiction.

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2. 2020Punjab National Bank became sponsor

   The sponsorship moved from United Bank of India to Punjab National Bank after United Bank of India was amalgamated with PNB.

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3. 2019Statewide consolidation completed

   Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank were amalgamated, with the combined institution commencing operations on 1 April.

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4. 2006Assam Gramin Vikash Bank formed

   Four United Bank of India-sponsored RRBs in Assam were amalgamated to form Assam Gramin Vikash Bank.

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5. 1982Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank established

   Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank was created under the Regional Rural Banks Act with State Bank of India as sponsor and Diphu as its head-office location.

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6. 1976Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank established

   Pragjyotish Gaonlia Bank, sponsored by United Bank of India, became the first regional rural bank established in Assam.

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A state-focused, government-backed rural banking institution emphasizing financial inclusion, agricultural finance, and access to formal banking across Assam.

• Deposit accountsRetail banking

  The bank’s deposit business supports savings, current-account, term-deposit, and recurring-deposit needs for households, farmers, small enterprises, and other customers in Assam. Deposit products form the core funding base of a regional rural bank and provide customers with access to formal savings, interest-bearing balances, and transaction facilities.

• Agricultural and rural creditLending

  Agricultural and rural lending is central to the bank’s mandate. This broad category covers credit for farming households and rural economic activity, including working capital, productive assets, and other needs connected with the agricultural and rural sectors. Specific product names and current terms are not established in the supplied references.

• Microenterprise and small-business financeLending

  The bank serves the rural non-farm sector as well as agriculture. Its lending role therefore includes financing for small traders, self-employed customers, village enterprises, and other small businesses. The available references describe this mandate at a sector level rather than identifying a verified set of current branded loan products.

• Payment and branch banking servicesTransaction banking

  Through its branch network and associated banking infrastructure, Assam Gramin Bank provides routine transaction and payment access to customers across Assam. This includes account servicing, domestic transfers, remittance-related activity, and government-linked financial services, although the supplied material does not specify the complete current digital-services catalogue.

• 2025Rename the institution Assam Gramin BankStrategy

  The Ministry of Finance announced a naming simplification for several regional rural banks following requests from their sponsor banks.

  What changed. Assam Gramin Vikash Bank was renamed Assam Gramin Bank.

  Aftermath. The available reference states that the functional jurisdiction and operations remained unchanged after the renaming.

  Source
• 2020Transfer sponsorship to Punjab National BankM&A

  United Bank of India, the former sponsor, was amalgamated with Punjab National Bank.

  What changed. Punjab National Bank assumed sponsorship of the Assam regional rural bank from 1 April 2020.

  Aftermath. The bank continued operating as an Assam-focused RRB within the ownership structure shared by the central government, the state government, and its sponsor bank.

  Source
• 2019Merge Assam Gramin Vikash Bank with Langpi Dehangi Rural BankM&A

  The Government of India’s RRB restructuring program sought to improve efficiency and operating strength by consolidating institutions.

  What changed. The two Assam RRBs were amalgamated into a single institution that began operations on 1 April 2019.

  Aftermath. The consolidation created a larger Assam-focused rural bank with a combined branch footprint and head office in Guwahati.

  Source

• 2025Assam Gramin Vikash Bank renamed Assam Gramin Bank

  The Ministry of Finance announced the renaming of several regional rural banks, including Assam Gramin Vikash Bank. The new name was intended to simplify the brand and align it with the state served; the bank’s jurisdiction and operations were reported as unchanged.

  Other
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• 2020Sponsorship transferred to Punjab National Bank after United Bank of India merger

  Following the amalgamation of United Bank of India with Punjab National Bank, sponsorship of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank moved to Punjab National Bank with effect from 1 April 2020.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2019Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank amalgamated

  The Government of India approved the combination of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and Langpi Dehangi Rural Bank into a single regional rural bank. The consolidated institution began operating on 1 April 2019 with its head office in Guwahati.

  M&A
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1. Assam Gramin Bank