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 economic news highlights.

NEPSE Index Jumps After Monetary Policy Announcement, Surges by 29 Points: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index witnessed a significant rise on Sunday, the first trading day after the monetary policy for the fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26) was made public. Investor interest was notably high in the shares of banks and microfinance companies. The NEPSE index surged by 29 points to close at 2,760.80. A total of 32.59 million shares from 311 companies were traded in 105,415 transactions, generating a total turnover of Rs 11.41 billion. Banking and microfinance sectors posted the highest gains, rising by 3.37% and 3.50% respectively.

Kathmandu Metropolitan Unveils Rs 25.76 billion Budget for FY 2025/26: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) presented its budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26) today (Sunday). During a municipal assembly session held at the Rastriya Sabha Griha, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol announced an estimated budget of Rs 25.76 billion. She stated that the total includes Rs 650 million allocated for external liabilities. According to Dangol, the city expects Rs 25.11 billion to be deposited in the consolidated fund. Of this, Rs 20.12 billion will be generated through KMC’s internal revenue and existing bank balances.

NRB Withdraws Additional Liquidity from Banking System: With liquidity increasing in the banking system, Nepal Rastra Bank has withdrawn Rs 5 billion more from the banking system on Sunday. The central bank had scheduled a three-hour auction starting at 3 PM today. The bidding amount was designed to be divisible by increments of Rs 100 million on the lower side and Rs 50 million on the upper side to ensure no residual amounts remain.

One-Time KYC Update Now Valid Across All Banks: Bank customers will no longer need to repeatedly update their Know Your Customer (KYC) information at every financial institution. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), in its monetary policy for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26), has introduced a provision to simplify KYC updates. Banks, financial institutions, and other financial service providers will now be able to access customers’ KYC information through the National ID system. Previously, customers were required to submit separate KYC forms for each bank they had accounts with, leading to widespread complaints.

Delay in Implementation of Decisions by PM-Led National Development Problem-Resolution Committee: Government reports indicate that decisions made by the Prime Minister-led National Development Problem-Solving Committee are slow and ineffective in implementation. Out of 83 decisions made in the last five meetings, only 27 have been fully implemented, leaving many issues unresolved.

Federal Government Initiates Law to Clarify Mining Rights Among Three Levels of Government: The federal government has begun drafting a law to define the authority over mining and mineral resources among the federal, provincial, and local governments. Although the constitution clearly assigns rights — mining extraction to the federal government, exploration and management to provinces, and conservation to local bodies — lack of legislation has centralized all powers with the federal government. A decade since the constitution’s enactment, this law aims to clarify jurisdiction.

Parliament Receives 15 Amendment Proposals on Renewable Energy Bill: Fifteen amendment proposals affecting 72 clauses have been submitted on the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to the House of Representatives. Lawmakers have proposed the most changes to clauses 4 and 5, with MP Nisha Dangi and Manish Jha suggesting five general federal government rights be explicitly mentioned. The Infrastructure Development Committee is preparing to discuss the bill in detail during the current session.

Government Plans to Build Around 200 Suspension Bridges Next Fiscal Year: The Department of Local Infrastructure under the Ministry of Urban Development has announced plans to construct 200 additional suspension bridges in fiscal year 2025/26. The government aims to completely replace traditional ‘Tuin’ rope bridges with suspension bridges nationwide. While the demand for suspension bridges exists even where ‘Tuin’ is not used, full displacement of ‘Tuin’ bridges has yet to be achieved. The ministry is aggressively pushing the suspension bridge program forward.

100 Additional Electric Buses to Operate in Kathmandu Valley Before Dashain: Before the upcoming Dashain festival, the government plans to operate 100 additional electric buses in the Kathmandu Valley. These buses will be brought from China and will be operated under the public transport cooperative. Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel had announced in the 2025/26 budget speech the provision of 100 more electric smart buses for public transport. Currently, 100 such buses operate in Kathmandu Valley.

Nepal Standards (NS) Mark (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2082 Implemented: The Nepal Standards (NS) Mark Third Amendment Regulations, 2025, have come into effect following their publication in the Nepal Gazette. The amendment was approved by the Cabinet on Jestha 26 (June 9). The revised regulations allow the renewal period for industries holding NS mark licenses and their products to be extended to three years. Previously, while the initial license period was three years, renewals had to be done annually thereafter.

Nepalese Embassy in New York Works to Increase American Tourists: The Nepalese Embassy in New York has intensified efforts to increase the number of American tourists to Nepal. On Friday, the embassy held an interaction program with local tourism entrepreneurs, promoting Nepal as an excellent and attractive destination. Commercial Counselor Dadhiram Bhandari highlighted Nepal’s suitability for mountain viewing and climbing, arts and culture, natural beauty, historical heritage, jungle safaris, and spirituality, emphasizing favorable conditions in all seasons.

NRB’s Monetary Policy Faces Criticism from Automobile Association: Nepal Automobile Importers and Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has expressed dissatisfaction with the monetary policy for fiscal year 2025/26 unveiled by Nepal Rastra Bank. NAIMA said the policy did not incorporate their timely suggestions, including the review of loan ratio management according to international standards, vehicle nature, and market demand for the long-term improvement and balanced development of the automobile sector.

Construction of Tunnel Road in Siddhababa Accelerates: The construction work of the tunnel road in Siddhababa, part of the Butwal-Dobhan road section of the Siddhartha Highway, has recently gained momentum. The contract agreement was made in Falgun 2078 BS (March 2022) with China State Construction Engineering Corporation to complete the tunnel within five years. Out of the five years, three years and four months have passed, and according to the project plan, 57.51% of physical construction work has been completed so far.

Urea Fertilizer Shortage During Rice Planting Season Despite Increased Supply in Kailali: Although the supply of fertilizers in Kailali has increased compared to last year, urea fertilizer shortages have begun during the rice planting season. Farmers who started planting early in the first week of Ashad (mid-June) found it relatively easier to obtain fertilizer, but those who planted late are facing difficulties in getting urea. According to Ganesh Datta Joshi, Information Officer at the Agriculture Materials Company regional office in Kailali, 11,762 tons of urea have been supplied so far this year compared to 9,962 tons last year.

Nabil Bank Enters 42nd Year, Continues to Drive Financial Sector Modernization: Nabil Bank has entered its 42nd year since its establishment in 1984. The bank has played a significant role in modernizing Nepal’s financial sector, promoting digital technology, and contributing to the country’s economic growth. On the occasion of its anniversary, CEO Manoj Kumar Gyawali said the bank continues to contribute to national economic prosperity and is committed to advancing responsibly and innovatively.

Bikash Hydropower IPO Allotted to Public on Sunday: Prabhu Capital, the sales manager, held a formal program to allot the IPO shares of Bikash Hydropower on Sunday. A total of 2,942,760 shares were issued for the general public. Applications were received for 2,043,686 shares properly. Among the valid applicants, 294,276 people received shares at the rate of 10 shares each.

CATL Launches Two Advanced Battery Pack Production Lines in Chongqing: CATL has formally commissioned two high-level battery pack production lines equipped with CTP2.0 (Cell-to-Pack) technology inside the Seres Super Factory in Chongqing. This marks CATL’s first production base in Chongqing and is the first time using the ‘Factory-in-Factory’ (FIF) collaboration model. This model directly links main component suppliers to vehicle production plants.

Joshi Hydropower to Open Rights Share Sale from Shrawan 15: Joshi Hydropower Development Company Limited will open rights share issuance and sale starting from Shrawan 15 (July 31). The company plans to issue rights shares amounting to 65% of the currently paid-up capital. The ratio is 0.65 new shares for every 1 existing share held.

Bunglal Hydropower IPO Opens for Sale on Sunday: Bunglal Hydropower’s IPO opened for sale starting Sunday. The company issued the IPO in the first phase specifically for local residents of the project-affected area and Nepali migrant workers abroad. The company has received permission to issue 2.905 million shares worth Rs 290.5 million, which is 35% of its paid-up capital of Rs 830 million.

Gold Price Sees Slight Increase in Nepalese Market on Sunday: According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the price of hallmark gold, which was Rs 191,800 per tola on Friday, increased to Rs 192,900 per tola on Sunday. This marks a rise of Rs 1,100 per tola in the price of hallmark gold. Similarly, the price of silver reached Rs 2,285 per tola on Sunday, up from Rs 2,220 per tola on Friday.