KATHMANDU: Presenting the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2026/27 before a joint session of the Federal Parliament on Friday, Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle announced aggressive anti-money laundering goals alongside strict fiscal austerity measures designed to save the state treasury Rs 20 billion.

In a major bid to safeguard Nepal’s international financial standing, Dr. Wagle declared that the government will take immediate and decisive steps to remove Nepal from the FATF “Grey List” as quickly as possible.

Simultaneously, to address widening administrative expenditures, the budget outlines an Rs 20 billion fiscal consolidation blueprint through three major cost-cutting interventions: