DILIP PAUDEL

Nepal received foreign aid commitments worth Rs 161.46 billion in fiscal year 2025/26, according to a Ministry of Finance report released last week. The amount, comprising grants and concessional loans, was significantly lower than the Rs 273 billion committed in the previous fiscal year.

According to a report released by the Ministry of Finance, Nepalis spent Rs 141 billion on overseas education and Rs 67.18 billion on foreign travel in fiscal year 2025/26 (2082/83).

The central bank’s 2026 Offsite Supervision Report on Microfinance Financial Institutions says nonperforming loans grew by 63.83 percent in one year. The growth rate was more than double that of the previous year.

According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the country’s foreign exchange reserves reached Rs 3.946 trillion by the end of Shrawan 2083 BS (August 16, 2026). The reserves stood at Rs 1.216 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2021/22. Their continued growth has strengthened Nepal’s capacity to meet i...

According to the Finance Ministry, revenue collection reached Rs 183.20 billion by the end of Bhadra (mid-September), up from Rs 157.53 billion in the same period last year.

The rise came a day after the Finance Ministry unveiled a 21-point Capital Market Strengthening and Recovery Action Plan 2083. Investors have responded positively to the plan, which covers reforms ranging from initial public offerings and the secondary market to institutional investment, taxation an...

The MCC project is expected to play an important role in strengthening the electricity grid and expanding cross-border energy connectivity. Ministry of Finance Secretary Dr Ghanshyam Upadhyaya said the transmission line would make it easier to expand cross-border energy networks.

Search and rescue operations have been hampered by the difficult conditions inside the project tunnels. Teams involving the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, foreign technical experts and project employees have been conducting search and rescue operations, but they have yet to locate the missing work...

The government will now have to change its priorities for the current and upcoming fiscal years and channel resources towards reconstruction in the affected areas. This will reduce the budget available for other development projects.

The disaster is estimated to have caused damage of around Rs 200 billion. Sushil Kumar Shrestha, a senior divisional engineer at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said the government would have to spend a huge amount on reconstruction, placing significant pressure on the...