KATHMANDU: Nepal News presents today’s snapshot of Nepal’s economic activities. Get quick updates on major market movements, policy shifts, and financial developments shaping the economy of Nepal. Here are the key economic highlights for today:

NEPSE Decreases by 9.24 Points, Turnover Drops to Rs 4.854 Billion Today

On Tuesday, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) declined by 9.24 points, closing at 2,777.10, down 0.33 percent. The Sensitive Index also fell by 1.45 points to 474.29. Trading volume dropped, with 11,872,507 shares of 342 companies traded 52,751 times, generating a turnover of Rs 4.854 billion, down from Monday’s Rs 5.986 billion. Only 69 companies saw gains, while 190 declined and 11 remained unchanged. Among 13 sub-indices, only Mutual Fund and Non-Life Insurance rose, while most sectors, including banking, hydropower, finance, and microfinance, posted losses.

State Agency Accelerates Dairy Farmers’ Payout to Rs 10 Million Daily

The Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) launched an emergency operational restructuring roadmap today to release Rs 10 million daily into farmers’ bank accounts. Out of an outstanding four-month liabilities pool totaling Rs 580 million, the state agency finalized immediate transfers worth Rs 120 million to smallholders. Bureaucratic blueprints reveal a full month’s outstanding liabilities are scheduled for electronic clearance by June 27. To maintain direct agricultural liquidity, the enterprise is recycling its current Rs 10 million daily commercial cash inflow, with the residual debt balance of Rs 460 million systematically structured for phased digital payments over the coming two months.

Bank Deposits in Lumbini Surge Past Rs 700 Billion via Digital Channels

A financial sector report published by the Nepal Rastra Bank today confirmed that aggregate banking deposits across Lumbini Province spiked by 21.43 percent to hit Rs 713.577 billion. Regional transaction ledgers show the financial institution network expanded to 2,148 active branches, comprising 746 Class ‘A’ commercial banks, 254 Class ‘B’ development banks, 47 Class ‘C’ finance companies, and 1,101 Class ‘D’ microfinance units. Rupandehi District retained absolute dominance, commanding 41.86 percent of provincial deposits and 50.47 percent of the Rs 589.715 billion total loan pool, while digital registries tracked 4,689,659 mobile banking sign-ups.

Insurance Authority Revises Claim Guidelines

The Nepal Insurance Authority officially launched a comprehensive regulatory amendment process today, Tuesday, to overhaul the active Insurance Claim Payment Guidelines, 2024. Driven by a sharp influx of consumer non-payment complaints filed at the regulatory bureau, the revision marks a shift from historical practices that gathered feedback exclusively from insurers and reinsurers. Under the updated framework, the authority issued a public directive expanding the consultative pool to include policyholders, insurance surveyors, agents, and general citizens, mandating all clear structural recommendations be submitted to the registry within a strict 15-day statutory window.

Asset Management Committee Exposes Names of 1770 Cooperative Defaulters

The Problematic Cooperative Management Committee issued an extraordinary public disclosure decree yesterday, blacklisting 1,770 delinquent borrowers to enforce loan recovery. The coordinated asset liquidation sweep targeted default accounts linked to Ghedung Cooperative, Nagarik Kalyan Cooperative, and Ideal Yamuna Cooperative. Statutory notices directed all listed individuals to report to the liquidation registry immediately to settle outstanding debts or face asset seizures and criminal prosecution. The administrative enforcement bureau confirmed that identical identity registers detailing blacklisted debtors from alternative financially distressed credit unions will be published systematically over the coming weeks to recoup depositor funds.

Public Accounts Committee Sounds Alarm Over Rs 755 Billion Financial Discrepancies

The Public Accounts Committee convened an emergency assembly on Monday summoning chief accounting officers from 10 high-deficit ministries to address massive systemic financial regularization failures. Legislative tracking data from the Auditor General’s 63rd report revealed that aggregate unaccounted state expenditure irregularities have spiraled to an unprecedented Rs 755 billion. Parliamentary members demanded aggressive regulatory interventions, including blacklisting officials handling discrepancies over Rs 30 million, seizing personal assets of negligent office heads, and addressing a severe Rs 125 million chunk of irregularities isolated inside the Ministry of Finance alone.

Foreign Medical Imports Trigger Shutdown of 50 Domestic Medicine Plants

The Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON) issued a critical industrial tracking report today warning that 50 percent of the nation’s domestic medicine manufacturing plants face immediate bankruptcy due to unrestricted cross-border competition. Out of 100 registered domestic facilities, 10 units have permanently shut down operations while active plants are functioning at an unsustainable 30 to 40 percent of their physical manufacturing capacity. Financial data shows that collective capital investments in the pharmaceutical ecosystem exceed Rs 40 billion, with commercial banking institutions financing up to 60 percent of that volume. Local producers urged the state to enact protective customs barriers, eliminate domestic packaging VAT, and restrict imports exclusively to raw materials.

100% Custom Duties Strand Rs 250 Million Worth Pine Knots

High tariff policies disrupted herbal export operations today as 12 metric tons of rare pine knots valued at Rs 250 million remained stranded inside domestic storage warehouses. The Nepal Herbs Entrepreneurs Association confirmed commercial cross-border shipping ground to a halt because export customs duties reached an absolute 100 percent threshold. Harvested from protected 30-year-old trees across alpine tracts in Doti, Dadeldhura, and Baitadi, the primary trade stocks are transported via transit lines to Nepalgunj for the Indian market. Local commercial registries noted that alternative indigenous cash herbs like Jatamansi, Amla, Khirola, and cinnamon face identical border blocks because they lack formal product registration inside India.

Tourism Board Deploys 5-Year Digital Strategy to Rehearse Chinese Platforms

The Nepal Tourism Board officially unveiled its International Market Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2030) on Monday, designed to shift national tourism toward high-value qualitative development. Developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the strategy aims to reverse declining traveler spending trends, which fell from a daily average of USD 48 in 2019 to USD 40.8 in 2024. The five-year roadmap coordinates 38 specialized activities across six foundational pillars, specifically prioritizing expanded marketing operations on dominant Chinese digital networks, including XiaoHongShu, Douyin, and WeChat to capture emerging cross-border traveler markets.

NEA Blueprints 12KM Underground Power Line Across Kathmandu

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) submitted an infrastructure request to the Department of Electricity Development today to construct an advanced 132 kV underground double-circuit transmission line inside Kathmandu. The high-voltage grid will traverse an exact route length of 11.92 kilometers linking Balaju, Maharajgunj, the Royal Palace, Ratnapark, and Singha Durbar to supply 350 MW of stable power. The urban modernization project has a strict three-year completion timeline and requires 1.62 hectares of public terrain to house 21 automated joint pits spaced at 500-meter intervals. The design integrates modern substation upgrades, including a specialized 132/66/11 kV terminal hub at Singha Durbar, to optimize metropolitan load-shedding security and aesthetic preservation.

Birtamod Logs Highest Financial Irregularities Across Jhapa

The Office of the Auditor General published its 63rd Annual Report, revealing a sharp upward trajectory in unaccounted financial irregularities across 15 local government tiers in Jhapa District. Audit tracking logs covering the 2024/25 fiscal cycle confirmed Birtamod Municipality registered the highest relative irregularity rate at 3.22 percent, yielding Rs 107.4 million in discrepancies out of an audited Rs 3.346 billion pool. Conversely, Mechinagar Municipality held the highest absolute volume at Rs 149.9 million (3.19 percent), while Bahradashi Rural Municipality logged the lowest local rate at 0.45 percent, totaling Rs 6.3 million.

Over 100 Citizens Secure Alpine Harvesting Permits for Yarsagumba

The Api Nampa Conservation Area Office issued standard legal harvesting permits to 138 indigenous collectors in Darchula today to manage the seasonal alpine extraction of wild Yarsagumba. Administrative logs confirm all current clearances were distributed via 11 regional checkposts under the ‘Blue Card’ category, a regulatory tier restricted to permanent sanctuary residents carrying a subsidized Rs 500 fee. Alternative identity categories include ‘Yellow Cards’ priced at Rs 2,000 for standard district residents and ‘Red Cards’ at Rs 3,000 for outside harvesters. Statutory harvesting guidelines restrict pasture entry to a fixed 30-day window operating between May 29 and June 29 this year across protected meadows like Lolu, Apifed, and Satganga.

Hydro Project Submits Repayments Audit

Green Ventures submitted a comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) financial disclosure ledger to local authorities on May 21, detailing Rs 25.1 million in localized spending. The audit followed intense transparency demands from communities affected by the 13.5 MW Likhu-4 Hydropower Project regarding environmental mitigation accounts across wards 1, 2, and 3 of Khijidemba. While records state the company distributed Rs 312.5 million in local equity shares, community scrutiny has intensified over delayed infrastructure deliverables, including an unfulfilled Rs 600,000 ambulance purchase dating back to August 2021.

Poultry Association hikes egg prices after avian influenza depletes national supply

The Nepal Layers Poultry Entrepreneurs Association enforced an immediate nationwide commodity price hike today, Tuesday, raising egg prices by Rs 15 per crate due to severe market supply shortages. Under the updated pricing schedule, premium XL-sized crates climbed to Rs 545, while large, medium, and small egg crates were re-pegged at Rs 530, Rs 500, and Rs 400, respectively. Industry data shows production capabilities collapsed across eastern networks after recent pathogenic bird flu outbreaks killed over 500,000 layer chickens across Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari, driving sharp wholesale costs upward as commercial demand outpaces farm output.

Salt Trading Finalizes 9.50% Bonus Share Book Closure

Salt Trading Corporation successfully concluded its official shareholder register book closure today, Tuesday, locking in equity eligibility for its upcoming annual dividend distribution. The corporation enforced a statutory book closure window operating between May 27 and June 12 to isolate current eligible accounts ahead of its 59th Annual General Meeting scheduled at the Tribhuvan Army Officers’ Club. The board-approved fiscal package features a 9.50 percent bonus share issuance paired with a 0.50 percent cash dividend allocation reserved for corporate tax clearance, with all assets transferred post-assembly authorization.

Snow Rivers IPO Allotting Shares to 77K Applicants

Sanima Capital finalized the official initial public offering (IPO) allotment of Snow Rivers today distributing 10-share blocks to 77,812 successful retail applicants. The underwriting bureau registered 2,557,855 total applications competing for 27,457,600 shares, meaning the Rs 77.8 million public batch was heavily oversubscribed. Backed by a Double B Plus ICRA rating on its Rs 2.719 billion Super Kabeli Khola A hydro project, corporate ledgers for mid-January 2026 confirm a net worth of Rs 107.46 per share.

Gold Traded at Rs 291,500, Silver Rs 5,060 Today

Gold and silver prices have declined in the domestic market today. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of gold has decreased by Rs 1,300 per tola (11.66 grams) and is currently being traded at Rs 291,500 per tola. On Monday, gold was traded at Rs 292,800 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver has also dropped on Tuesday. Today, silver is priced at Rs 5,060 per tola. On Monday, silver was trading at Rs 5,150 per tola, marking a decrease of Rs 90 per tola today.