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 Soars 75.84 Points on First Day of New Fiscal Year; Index Hits 2,870: On Thursday, the first day of the fiscal year 2082/83, Nepal’s stock market surged by 75.84 points (2.71%), pushing the NEPSE index to 2,870. Share prices of 239 companies rose, while only 9 declined. Trading volume also increased significantly, reaching Rs 16.59 billion—up from Rs 14.03 billion the previous day. All sector indices posted gains. The “Others” group led with a 5.09% rise, followed by Hydropower (3.04%), Investment (3.17%), Life Insurance (3.14%), Manufacturing & Processing (2.94%), and Finance (2.80%).

Implementation of 2025/26 Budget Begins Today: With the start of the new fiscal year 2025/26 today, the government has begun implementing the new policies and programs announced in the annual budget. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel presented the budget on May 29, 2025, in accordance with constitutional provisions, and it has been passed by both houses of Parliament.

New Monetary Policy Comes into Effect: The monetary policy introduced by Governor Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel for the fiscal year 2025/26 has come into effect today. Nepal Rastra Bank has circulated the new policy to all banks. The policy has revised key rates, lowering the bank rate to 6 percent from the previous 6.5 percent.

Government Collects NPR 1.178 trillion in Revenue in 2024/25: The government collected NPR 1.178 trillion in revenue during the fiscal year 2024/25—NPR 120 billion more than the previous year. This represents an 11.33% growth from NPR 1.058 trillion collected in 2023/24. The initial target for the year was NPR 1.419 trillion, later revised to NPR 1.286 trillion in the mid-year review.

Deadline Extended for Bank Quarterly Reports: The deadline for banks to publish their quarterly financial reports has been extended. Banks now have 15 days after the end of each quarter to publish their financials. For the fourth quarter, the deadline is now set for July 30. Previously, banks had to publish within 7 days (regular quarters) and 21 days (final quarter).

Insufficient Budget Allocation for Health Insurance Despite NPR 25 billion Annual Expenditure: Hospitals across the country provide medicines and treatments worth NPR 25 billion annually under the health insurance scheme. However, the government allocates only NPR 7 billion annually to the Health Insurance Board. For the upcoming fiscal year, the allocation has been increased to NPR 10 billion—but even this amount is insufficient to pay hospitals for the treatment of insured patients.

Nepal Imports Nearly NPR 750 million Worth of Millet Annually: Nepal annually imports millet worth nearly NPR 750 million due to insufficient domestic production. According to the Department of Customs, in the first 11 months of the fiscal year 2024/25, Nepal imported 14.35 million kilograms of millet worth NPR 718.78 million. In the previous fiscal year 2023/24, Nepal had imported 15.29 million kilograms worth NPR 754.42 million. Millet is primarily imported from neighboring countries India and China.

Sugarcane Farmers Who Sold Early Will Not Receive Subsidies: Sugarcane farmers who sold their crops to sugar mills before March last year will not receive government subsidies. The government had decided to provide subsidies of NPR 70 per quintal to sugarcane farmers during the crushing season of 2024/25. However, no budget has been allocated for providing such subsidies in the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26.

Nepalis Spend NPR 200 billion on Foreign Travel in 11 Months: In just 11 months, Nepalis have spent NPR 200 billion on foreign travel for education, employment, and tourism—the highest ever. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, by mid-June 2025, the largest expenditure was for educational travel, amounting to NPR 124.79 billion.

23 Local Governments Fail to Pass Budget on Time: A total of 23 local governments failed to pass their budgets by the end of the fiscal year 2024/25. This includes 11 municipalities and 12 rural municipalities. Despite legal requirements to pass the budget by the end of Asar (mid-July), these local bodies cited various reasons for the delay. Among the 11 municipalities, 10 are in Madhesh Province and one is in Koshi Province.

Stricter Rules on Precious Metal Transactions: Tighter regulations have been introduced for the purchase of precious metals. The Inland Revenue Department has mandated that companies dealing in gold, silver, and other precious items must verify their customers’ identities. This directive was issued to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

Gold Price Rose by NPR 44,500 per Tola Last Fiscal Year: During the fiscal year 2024/25, the price of gold rose by NPR 44,500 per tola. On the first day of the fiscal year (July 17, 2024), gold had set a new record with an NPR 900 jump to NPR 147,800 per tola. On the last day of the year (July 16, 2025), it was traded at NPR 146,900 per tola.

Employees Provident Fund Revises Interest Rates: The Employees Provident Fund has revised interest rates for depositors. The annual interest rate for both provident and pension funds has been fixed at 5%. Interest rates on loans have also been revised: 6.25% for special loans, 7.25% for home, education, and repair loans, and 7.5% for land purchase and general loans.

Sirsiya Dry Port Customs Merged into Birgunj Customs: The Sirsiya Dry Port Customs Office has been officially merged into the Birgunj Customs Office starting today. The integrated customs office has also begun operations. Previously, the dry port operated as a separate office under Birgunj’s jurisdiction.

Casino Operating Costs and Taxes Increased: The cost of operating casinos in Nepal is set to rise, along with the taxes payable to the government. After 12 years, the government has amended and replaced the old 2013 casino regulations with the new “Casino Regulation 2025.” It was approved on July 7 and published in the gazette on July 14, making it legally enforceable.

Road Department’s Highest Capital Spending in FY 2017/18: The Department of Roads recorded its highest capital expenditure in fiscal year 2017/18. That year, the government allocated NPR 89.28 billion to the department, of which 91.72%—amounting to NPR 81.89 billion—was utilized for capital expenses. This is the highest in the past 10 years.

30 Companies Honored with CIP Status for Economic Contribution: The government has honored 30 companies and institutions with the Commercially Important Person (CIP) status for their contribution to exports and the economy. The awards were presented by Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supplies Damodar Bhandari in a ceremony organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Kanchanpur–Kamala Road Project Delayed by Nearly Five Years: The western section of the Kanchanpur–Kamala Road project, originally scheduled for completion in three years, remains unfinished nearly five years later. Construction from Kusaha (Saptari) to the western border of the Kamala River (Siraha) is only 65% complete after four years and nine months, according to the project office.

IME Pay and Khalti Merge Into ‘Khalti by IME’: From July 17, IME Pay and Khalti digital wallets have officially merged into one unified brand: “Khalti by IME.” With this integration, over 12.7 million users are now connected under one platform. The paid-up capital of the new company, IME Khalti Limited, has exceeded NPR 540 million.

Gold and Silver Prices See Modest Rise: On Thursday, the price of gold increased slightly. The Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association fixed the gold price at NPR 192,300 per tola—up NPR 300 from the previous day. The highest-ever recorded price remains NPR 197,900 per tola (on April 21). Silver rose by NPR 5 per tola.