KATHMANDU: Welcome to Nepal News’ Evening Economic Brief—your go-to source on key financial updates in Nepal. Stay informed with concise insights on market trends, economic indicators, and policy shifts. Here are today’s top highlights:

NEPSE Index Rises by 9.66 Points, Total Share Transaction Amounts to Rs 4.48 billion: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index rose by 9.66 points on Wednesday, reaching a total of 2,676.28 points, reflecting a 0.36% increase compared to the previous day.

Today, 154 companies saw an increase in their share prices, while 90 companies experienced a decline, and one company’s share price remained unchanged. During 45,094 transactions, a total of 1.73 million shares were bought and sold, amounting to a total of Rs 4.48 billion in trading value.

Nepal’s Economic Growth to Rise to 4.4% This Fiscal Year Projects ADB: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected Nepal’s economic growth to reach 4.4% in the current fiscal year, marking a slight improvement from last year’s 3.9%. The forecast, published today in the Asian Development Outlook 2025, attributes the expected growth to a gradual recovery in key sectors.

According to the ADB, Nepal’s economy is showing signs of improvement, driven by a surge in hydropower generation, an increase in wheat production, and renewed momentum in the services sector. These factors have helped the economy recover from previous slowdowns, contributing to a more optimistic growth outlook for this year. ADB’s report suggests that as the broader economy stabilizes, the pace of recovery is expected to continue, reflecting ongoing structural improvements and sectoral performance gains.

Nepal’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Grow by 18% Amid Economic Stability: Nepal’s foreign exchange reserves have seen a significant 18% increase, reaching 24 trillion 9 billion 25 million rupees by the end of Fagun 2081, compared to 20 trillion 41 billion 10 million rupees at the end of Asar 2081. In USD terms, reserves grew by 13.1%, reaching $17.27 billion. The Nepal Rastra Bank saw a 15.2% rise in its share of reserves, totaling 21.3 trillion rupees, while commercial banks’ reserves surged by 44.9%, reaching 2.79 trillion rupees. As of Fagun, reserves cover 17.2 months of goods imports and 14.3 months of goods and services imports, providing a strong buffer for Nepal’s economy.

Nepal’s Deposits and Private Sector Loans See Modest Growth: As of Magh end, deposits in Nepal’s banks and financial institutions grew by 4.3%, reaching 2.77 trillion rupees, a slowdown compared to last year’s 7.6% increase. Private sector loans also saw a rise of 6.0%, totaling 304.82 billion rupees, up from 4.2% growth last year. The composition of deposits shifted slightly, with savings and fixed deposits making up a larger share. Institutional deposits represented 35.4% of the total, a small decrease from last year’s 36.5%. Commercial banks saw a 6.3% increase in loan disbursement to the private sector.

Nepal Rastra Bank Allows Loan Restructuring for Construction Businesses: Nepal Rastra Bank has amended its unified directive, allowing banks to restructure or reschedule loans for construction businesses with pending payments from public bodies. This facility applies only when construction work is completed or ongoing, and the payment source is confirmed. The restructuring requires a minimum 10% recovery on interest, and the process must be completed by the end of Ashar 2082. The bank has set three conditions for loan restructuring and exempted penalty interest for the loans classified before Mangsir 2081.

Nepal Aims to Generate 28,500 MW of Electricity in 10 Years: Energy Minister Khadka: Minister of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, has stated that the development of the energy sector will be a key driver in the country’s prosperity. While inaugurating the Sanjen KholaHydropower Project on Wednesday, he emphasized that the government is working towards a target of producing 28,500 megawatts of electricity within the next 10 years.

Khadka also highlighted that Nepal’s energy sector development is progressing through close cooperation with its two large neighboring countries, India and China. He expressed satisfaction with the growing domestic and international support in the hydropower sector, reflecting a positive trend toward investment and collaboration.

Nepal’s Electricity Exports Decline Due to Floods and Landslides: Electricity exports from Nepal have decreased in the first eight months of the fiscal year 2081/82, with exports to India amounting to 10.46 billion rupees, a drop of 2.56 billion rupees compared to the same period last year. The decrease is attributed to damage caused by floods and landslides, particularly from the heavy rainfall in October. The Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project faced significant damage, halting production for 88 days, further impacting export revenues.

Nepal Sees Record Remittance Growth, With a 9.4% Increase This Fiscal Year: Nepal received over 1.5 trillion rupees in remittances by the end of Magh this fiscal year, marking a 9.4% increase compared to the previous year. The total remittance inflow by Magh reached 10.51 trillion rupees, with a significant rise in US dollar remittances—up by 6.9% to $7.74 billion. The growth is partly attributed to a weaker Nepali rupee, which amplified remittance inflows. Additionally, the number of Nepali workers securing foreign employment has also increased, with over 3.17 lakh new labor permits issued by February.

Business Community in Rupandehi Demands Immediate Operation of GBIA: Industrialists and businesspeople from Rupandehi have raised their voices demanding the immediate operation of Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa.

Today, the Siddhartha Industry Commerce Association, Siddhartha Network Rupandehi, and Chamber of Commerce Rupandehi held a press conference in Bhairahawa and announced a series of protests to demand the airport’s operation.

The protests will include sit-ins in front of the airport, among other activities. The business community has vowed to launch a decisive movement, uniting all sectors to ensure the airport’s functioning. A joint action committee will be formed under the leadership of Siddhartha Network Rupandehi, with all local organizations participating in the unified struggle.

NRB to Withdraw Rs 20 billion from Market for Liquidity Management: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) is set to withdraw Rs 20 billion from the financial market today, Wednesday, as part of its regular efforts to manage excess liquidity. The central bank announced that the withdrawal will be carried out through its deposit collection instrument for a period of 21 days.

NRB has been routinely absorbing liquidity from the market on Sundays and Wednesdays, and today’s operation is a continuation of that practice. According to the official notice, banks and financial institutions interested in participating can submit their bids through the online auction system.

Government to Launch Digital Nepal Framework 2.0 After First Version’s Failure: The government is set to launch Digital Nepal Framework 2.0 after the first version, implemented five years ago, was deemed unsuccessful. The draft of the new framework has already been made public, and feedback has been collected to refine and improve it.

The Digital Nepal Framework was first introduced in 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. However, it failed to achieve significant results due to political instability, budget shortages, and a lack of coordination between various government bodies. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Pritvi Subba Gurung, announced that the new version will address the weaknesses of the previous framework and focus on its successful implementation.

Nepal to Host 3rd International Transport Conference from April 11 to 13: The 3rd International Transport Conference–2025 is set to take place in Nepal from April 11 to 13. Organized by the Society of Transport Engineers Nepal (SOTEN), the event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Urban Development, according to the organizers.

In a press conference held on Wednesday, SONET announced that the main aim of the conference is to promote policies that support sustainable and safe transportation systems. The event is expected to bring together national and international experts to discuss strategies for building a modern, efficient, and environmentally conscious transport infrastructure in Nepal.

(ISVG) Nepal and Shanghai Haixian Group Partner to Create Job Opportunities for Nepalis: The International Scout Volunteer Group (ISVG) Nepal and Shanghai Haixian Group have signed an agreement to work jointly on creating employment opportunities for Nepali citizens. The agreement was signed on Wednesday in Kathmandu with the aim of addressing Nepal’s growing unemployment problem.

As part of the partnership, the two organizations plan to promote Chinese language education in Nepal, recognizing language skills as a key requirement for accessing jobs in the Chinese market. The initiative will also include efforts to connect trained Nepalis with job opportunities in China. The two sides have agreed to implement this plan from 2025 to 2028, focusing on both skill development and employment placement abroad.

Internal Revenue Office Bhairahawa Collects Rs 7.28 billionin Revenue in First Eight Months of FY 2024/25: The Internal Revenue Office in Bhairahawa has successfully collected Rs 7.28 billion in revenue as of the second quarter of the current fiscal year. This amount represents 90.5% of the annual target set by the Revenue Department for the period from Shrawan to Falgun (mid-July to mid-February).

The department had set a target of Rs 8.09 billion for the office. Although the office has not yet achieved 100% of its revenue target, it has performed notably well compared to previous years.

Tourism Entrepreneurs in Pokhara Demand Chengdu International Airport as Transit Hub for Nepali Tourists: Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara have called for the establishment of Chengdu International Airport as a transit hub for Nepali tourists traveling to countries with large Nepali populations. This demand was made during a ceremony where tourism entrepreneurs presented certificates to participants of the first commercial charter flight from Pokhara to Chengdu.

The entrepreneurs emphasized that establishing an international transit point from Pokhara to Chengdu would boost tourism by facilitating easier travel for tourists. They also suggested that if transit points could be established from Chengdu to other countries with large Nepali communities, the effectiveness of the route would significantly increase, benefiting Nepal’s tourism sector.

Sanvi Energy to Launch IPO from April 18: Sanvi Energy is set to issue its Initial Public Offering (IPO) starting from Baisakh 5 (April 18). In the first phase, the company will open the IPO to local affected people and foreign workers.

Local affected individuals can apply for shares from Baisakh 5 to 19 (April 18 to May 2), with the final deadline being Jestha 3 (May 17). Foreign workers will have a similar application period from Baisakh 5 to 19 (April 18 to May 2). The company has allocated a total of 3.79 million shares for the public, with each share priced at Rs 100. Applicants can apply for a minimum of 10 shares and a maximum of 20,000 shares.

2nd National Horticulture Expo-2025 Taking Place fromTomorrow: The Second National Horticulture Expo 2081 is going to begin at Bhrikutimandap from Thursday. The exhibition will run till April 13. All preparations for the expo have been completed, according to the event organizer Nursery Association of Nepal.

Rabin Kumar Gautam, the Expo coordinator and senior vice-president of the Association, said that an extensive exhibition of commercial nursery products as flowers, fruits, agricultural plants, forestry and herbs will be organized from this year as an integrated mega fair in the entire nursery sector.

Fire Causes Rs 280 million Loss at Herbal Production and Processing Company: A massive fire at herbal production and processing company has caused an estimated loss of Rs 280 million, according to a preliminary assessment. The blaze destroyed key infrastructure including the production and administrative buildings, equipment, four vehicles, a motorcycle, and stocked herbal products.

Around 2 million rupees worth of processed herbal tonic bottles were also lost in the incident. She stated that the total damage, based on initial estimates, stands at approximately Rs 280 million. A royalist group carried out an arson and vandalism attack on March 28 at the company, which has been in continuous operation for the past 43 years.

Gold Price Rises by Rs 2,000: The price of gold in Nepal increased by Rs 2,000 on Wednesday, according to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association. With the latest surge, the price of fine gold has reached Rs 175,400 per tola, up from Rs 173,400 per tola on Tuesday.

Similarly, the price of silver has also seen a slight increase, rising from Rs 1,830 to Rs 1,835 per tola. The consistent upward trend in gold and silver prices reflects ongoing volatility in the international bullion market, which continues to influence local rates in Nepal.