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:

NRB Issues Rs 20 Billion Debenture

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) issued a Rs 20 billion short-term central bank debenture on Monday to manage high liquidity across the commercial financial sector. Named ‘NRB Debenture 2027 D’, the debt instrument allowed Class ‘A’, Class ‘B’, and Class ‘C’ banking institutions to submit electronic competitive bids until 3:00 PM. The one-year investment features semi-annual interest disbursements, with final principal redemption finalized for today. Institutional bidders submitted minimum blocks of Rs 50 million, with the final yield rate determined through competitive bidding processes.

NEPSE Falls 26.29 Points, Turnover Drops to Rs 3.55 Billion

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by 26.29 points, or 0.99 percent, to close at 2,627.11 on Monday, with trading turnover declining to Rs 3.55 billion. Shares of 356 companies were traded, with 239 declining, 34 advancing, and four remaining unchanged. All 13 sectoral indices ended lower, led by the trading sub-index, which dropped 3.15 percent. Snow Rivers Limited and Sanigad Hydro Limited posted the highest gains of 14.99 percent each, while Three Star Hydropower Limited recorded the steepest loss, falling 13.79 percent.

Finance Minister Wagle, ADB President Kanda Discuss Development Cooperation

Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda held talks on Monday, reaffirming their commitment to continued cooperation for Nepal’s development. The meeting took place at the finance minister’s office in the Ministry of Finance at Singha Durbar. During the meeting, Wagle thanked the ADB for its assistance and investment in Nepal’s development and requested the bank’s continued support in the years ahead. Kanda said supporting Nepal’s development remains a high priority for the ADB, reaffirming the bank’s commitment to continued cooperation.

Madhesh’s Tourism Minister Patel Unveils Online Business Registration

Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, Madhesh Province, Kanish Kumar Patel, announced policy modifications during an employment fair in Birgunj on Sunday to streamline industrial development. Under the new guidelines for the 2026/27 fiscal year, the Madhesh Province government will deploy an integrated online portal allowing firms to finalize legal enterprise registrations and renewals within seven to 10 days. The plan introduces tax exemptions for job-creating industries alongside interest subsidies for young entrepreneurs. Co-organized by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the single-day job fair drew 500 direct applicants, matching candidates with regional industrial firms.

Sudurpashchim Capital Budget Spending Surges by 10% in July

Budget expenditure inside Sudurpashchim Province accelerated rapidly following the start of July, reflecting late-fiscal project settlement trends. The Provincial Treasury Controller Office reported total expenditure reached 44.81 percent by July 3, up from 35.20 percent logged at the end of May. Treasury officials disbursed Rs 3.207 billion by July 3. Capital infrastructure spending reached Rs 7.468 billion, while recurrent spending grew to Rs 7.514 billion. Officials anticipate peak settlement outflows until budget books close.

Labor Ministry Honors Outstanding Entrepreneurs and Industrial Facilities

The Ministry of Youth, Labor, and Employment presented national entrepreneurship awards to eight remigrant workers who established local business ventures after working abroad. Lok Bahadur Rai received the premier award along with a Rs 150,000 cash prize, while seven provincial entrepreneurs received Rs 75,000 each. Concurrently, Minister Ramji Yadav honored six industrial plants for safety standards, including Mainawati Steel Industries (Koshi), Maruti Cements (Madhesh), and Asian Paints (Bagmati). The department selected the top industrial sites based on 22 operational health metrics.

National Statistics Office Forecasts Moderate 3.51% GDP Expansion

The National Statistics Office published its third-quarter national accounts estimate for fiscal year 2025/26, showing an initial 3.51 percent year-on-year economic expansion at basic prices. The recovery was driven by growth across electricity and gas networks, deposit collections, lending volumes, non-life insurance activities, and the transport sector. Concurrently, the quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted growth stood at 0.58 percent. Out of 18 economic sectors, 16 registered expansion, led by energy supply at 24.88 percent, financial institutions at 10.27 percent, and transport infrastructure at 7.83 percent. Agriculture edged up 1.58 percent due to stable livestock yields, offsetting declines in paddy production.

Government Portals Enroll Over 2.6 Million Farmer Families

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment registered 2,645,000 farming households on its digital platforms by mid-July 2026, exceeding its fiscal year target of 2,450,000 families. The data tracking operation covers 64 percent of the agrarian population documented in the National Agricultural Census 2021. Aligned with the Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Act 2018, the scheme will categorize farmers into subsistence, small, medium, and large tiers. The system prepares local municipal tiers to distribute specialized farmer identification cards, designed to streamline institutional farm credit, machinery subsidies, and fertilizer tracking.

Asian Development Bank Signs Rs 25 Billion Concessional Loan Agreement

The government and the Asian Development Bank signed a Rs 25 billion (USD 165 million) concessional loan agreement on Monday to fund critical urban infrastructure and trade facilitation systems. Signed during the official visit of bank president Masato Kanda, the financing package allocates USD 115,000,000 toward the Integrated Water Supply and Sewerage Management Project, which will build clean water networks benefiting 850,000 residents across 13 districts. The remaining USD 50 million supports the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Trade Facilitation Program, designed to personalize customs infrastructure, implement risk-based clearances, and lower regional supply chain costs. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhayay finalized the bilateral pact alongside the bank country director.

Paddy Plantation Reaches 32.4%, Monsoon Progress Lags

Paddy plantation has reached only 32.38 percent nationwide despite the first week of July, well below the 45 percent recorded during the same period last year, according to the Department of Agriculture. Of Nepal’s 1.37 million hectares of paddy fields, planting has been completed on 443,595 hectares. Sudurpashchim leads with 57.9 percent plantation, followed by Gandaki (41 percent) and Karnali (40.5 percent). Madhesh, the country’s largest paddy-producing province, has recorded the slowest progress, with just 15.6 percent of plantation completed, while Lumbini and Bagmati also remain behind last year’s pace.

Real Estate Sales Approach Rs 183 Billion

The Nepal Rastra Bank reported a sharp recovery in the property market during the third quarter of fiscal year 2025/26, with real estate transactions reaching Rs 183.9 billion. The transaction value nearly doubled compared to the Rs 100 billion recorded during the same period in fiscal year 2024/25. Overall transaction volume increased by 6.42 percent, driving a 23.72 percent surge in property tax revenues and a 31.42 percent increase in capital gains tax collections. Regionally, property sales values inside Bagmati Province spiked by 131.52 percent, while Kathmandu Metropolitan City led municipal growth with a 108.42 percent surge in transaction volume and a 223.12 percent jump in total market value.

Nepalgunj Customs Office Registers Over Rs 18 Billion Revenue

The Nepalgunj Customs Office gathered Rs 18.579 billion in trade tariffs up to June 14, achieving 83.05 percent of its Rs 22.374 billion target. Total import trade expanded 11.41 percent to reach Rs 79.358 billion, while outbound export volumes climbed 12.70 percent to Rs 3.213 billion. Total bilateral trade volumes expanded to Rs 82.570 billion. Cross-border commercial traffic shifted back into local Nepalgunj and Kohalpur markets due to stricter customs enforcement on consumer goods exceeding Rs 500.

Road Divisions Terminate Surkhet and Karnali Highway Contracts

The Road Division Office in Surkhet and Jumla cancelled 20 infrastructure agreements across Surkhet and the Karnali Highway due to non-performance by private builders under the Public Procurement Act 2007. In Surkhet, contracts for four major bridge and road upgrades were revoked, including projects handled by Adventure JB JV and Jayabuddha-Nepal Mega Builders JV, after firms missed revised completion targets. Concurrently, the Jumla office terminated 16 long-delayed highway maintenance contracts across Kalikot, Jumla, and Mugu, including alignments under MK/Amit JV. The state initiated legal steps to blacklist the defaulting companies and forfeit performance bonds.

Traffic Police Collect Over Rs 1 Million in 24 Hours in Capital

The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office prosecuted 2,176 drivers for various transit safety infractions over a 24-hour period, recovering Rs 1 million in fiscal revenues. Traffic patrols ticketed 81 motorists for driving under the influence, 101 for operating unauthorized ride-sharing services, 159 for ignoring signal lights, and 202 for speeding. Law enforcement units also cited 92 drivers for lane discipline violations, 110 for sounding horns in prohibited sectors, 110 for illegal sidewalk parking, and 66 for driving down one-way streets. The fine collection campaigns reinforce urban safety across the metropolitan sector.

Fertilizer Shortages Threaten Paddy and Sugarcane Production in Kanchanpur

Agricultural communities across Belauri, Punarbabas, and Shuklaphanta local units faced severe shortages of chemical fertilizers during peak summer crop plantation windows. Smallholders managing fields reported a total lack of subsidized Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) supplies, threatening investment returns on sugarcane and paddy fields. Local agricultural offices confirmed that state subsidies cover only primary food crops, meaning cash crops like sugarcane lack assigned fertilizer quotas. Although the Agriculture Inputs Company in Mahendranagar holds 8,000 metric tons of regional stocks against a demand of 15,000 metric tons, local distribution cooperatives cannot fulfill surging demands from agrarian communities.

NEPSE CEO Chudamani Chapagain Resigns

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Chief Executive Officer Chudamani Chapagain resigned on Monday, submitting his resignation to Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle before completing his tenure. Chapagain said the decision was based on personal reasons and was not influenced by government pressure. Appointed by the Council of Ministers in March 2025, he had remained in office despite changes to previous appointments through an ordinance. The Ministry of Finance will now begin the process of appointing a new NEPSE CEO.

Management Committee Disburses Block Savings to Shiva Shikhar Victims

The Problematic Cooperative Management Committee completed a fresh phase of financial disbursements, returning deposits to 248 small savings account holders of the troubled Shiva Shikhar Cooperative. This deployment raised the total number of compensated depositors to 1,117 individuals. The committee utilizes direct loan recovery revenues and frozen assets liquidated under prevailing cooperative statutes to manage the sequential settlement operations. Under the approved structural plan, small-scale savers receive priority clearance before regulatory bodies implement structured asset distribution waves to process larger outstanding financial claims across the cooperative sector.

Gold Trades at Rs 289,400, Silver at Rs 4,585 Today

Gold prices in the market decreased on Monday. According to the Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of gold has dropped by Rs. 900 per tola (11.66 grams). On this day, the price of fine gold is set at Rs. 289,400 per tola. On Sunday, fine gold was traded at Rs. 290,300 per tola. Similarly, the price of silver has also decreased by Rs. 20 per tola. The association stated that silver is currently being bought and sold at Rs. 4,585 per tola. On Sunday, silver was traded at Rs. 4,605 per tola.