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 Drops by 5.99 Points, Daily Turnover Nears Rs 8 billion: On Thursday, the last trading day of the week, the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) index fell by 5.99 points, closing at 2,640. Despite the decline in the index, the daily transaction volume surged. The market saw a total turnover of Rs 7.97 billion, up from Rs 5.16 billion the previous day. Out of all traded companies, the stock prices of 94 rose, 153 declined, and 1 remained unchanged. Most sector indices declined, but the hydropower sector stood out with a 1.13% gain, indicating strong investor interest. The investment group index also inched up by 0.03%.

PM Oli Chairs Investment Board Meeting; Muktinath Cable Car Approved: The 64th meeting of the Investment Board Nepal, chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at his residence in Baluwatar today, approved several projects including the investment for the Muktinath Cable Car. The board approved investment for constructing an 81.041-kilometer-long cable car with seven stations stretching from Seraphant in Parbat district to Muktinath in Mustang. The project is estimated to cost NPR 5.764 billion and will be developed under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model by Muktinath Darshan Pvt. Ltd.

Govt Tightens Regulations to Curb Black Money in Real Estate Transactions: The government has begun tightening regulations in real estate transactions to prevent the possible use of black money. As a new effort to control black money in property deals, the Department of Land Management and Archives has issued a directive related to the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. Following this, the department has communicated instructions to all land revenue offices across the country. In February, 2025, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) placed Nepal on its grey list.

Directive on Anti-Money Laundering and Terror Financing to Be Amended: The Department of Land Management and Archives is set to amend its recently issued directive on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorist Activities. The amendment comes after concerns were raised by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, prompting revisions to be finalized by Thursday. Earlier this week, the department had issued a directive making bank statements and Know Your Customer (KYC) details mandatory for real estate transactions. However, following high-level discussions held on Wednesday and Thursday, involving secretaries and officials, the directive will now be revised.

SEBON Directs NEPSE to Issue 30% Shares to Public: The Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) has directed the Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) to proceed with issuing 30% of its shares to the general public as part of its restructuring process. SEBON issued the directive following a letter from the Ministry of Finance based on recommendations from the Capital Market Reform Committee led by former NRB Board Member Chintamani Siwakoti, said SEBON Director and Joint Spokesperson Tolakant Neupane.

Nepal Reinsurance Company Finally Publishes Q2 Financial Report: Nepal Reinsurance Company has finally published its second quarterly financial statement. According to the report, the company earned a net profit of NPR 532.69 million in the first six months of the current fiscal year — a 57% increase from the same period last year. During the same period last fiscal year, the net profit was NPR 337.7 million. The company’s annual earnings per share (EPS) stood at NPR 3.97. The profit growth is attributed to a rise in net premium income, which rose from NPR 3.03 billion to NPR 4 billion.

Ministry of Finance Requests Return of Unspent Financial Transfers for Current Fiscal Year 081/82: The Ministry of Finance has requested the return of unspent financial transfer grants that remained unused in the current fiscal year 081/82. According to legal provisions, provinces and local levels must return any conditional, supplementary, or special grants that were transferred but not spent within the same fiscal year to the federal consolidated fund. Section 22(3) of the Financial Procedures and Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2076, stipulates that if the amounts transferred from the federal consolidated fund to provinces and local levels remain unspent within the fiscal year, the concerned provincial and local bodies must deposit such amounts back into the federal consolidated fund.

Nepal Airlines Corporation Faces Corruption Allegations; Complaint Filed with CIAA: A complaint demanding investigation and action against irregularities and corruption within Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been filed at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The National Motherland Party addressed the complaint to CIAA chief Prem Rai, requesting withdrawal of the investigation report submitted by the NAC inquiry committee led by former Civil Aviation Authority Managing Director Triratna Manandhar and calling for a fresh probe.

Ministry of Finance Starts Preparations for Next Year’s Budget Implementation: The Ministry of Finance has begun preparatory work for implementing next fiscal year’s budget. At a meeting held in the ministry, alignment between policies, programs, budgets, and milestones was discussed to create and implement an actionable plan. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel directed to expedite procurement-related preparations for programs and projects included in the budget speech. He noted that readiness to sign contracts immediately after budget approval will facilitate faster project execution.

Business Groups Begin Submitting Suggestions for Upcoming Monetary Policy: As Nepal Rastra Bank prepares the upcoming monetary policy, business groups have begun submitting suggestions on behalf of their sectors. A delegation from the Nepal Automobile Importers and Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), led by President Ritu Singh Vaidya, met Governor Dr. Biswo Poudel and submitted recommendations concerning challenges and needed reforms in the automobile sector.

Petroleum Imports Worth Rs 16.19 billion via Kakarbhitta in First 10 Months: In the first 10 months of fiscal year 2081/82 BS, petroleum products worth NPR 16.19 billion were imported through the eastern border point of Kakarbhitta. Imports included petrol, diesel, LPG, ATF, and kerosene. According to Ishwar Kumar Humagain, Information Officer at Mechi Customs Office, this is a 5.4% decrease (NPR 917.7 million) compared to the same period last fiscal year.

Labor Ministry Deregisters Three Health Institutions for Failure to Renew Worker Health Testing License: The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has deregistered three listed health institutions responsible for health testing of foreign employment workers due to failure to renew their licenses within the stipulated time. The institutions deregistered include Manmohan Memorial Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Swayambhu, Kathmandu; Rose International Medical Services in Gongabu, Kathmandu; and Golden Gate Polyclinic and Diabetes Center in Lalitpur.

Farmers Awaiting Payment of NPR 5 billion for Milk Purchased by Government and Private Dairy Sectors: Farmers have yet to receive payments worth five billion rupees for milk purchased by dairy businesses in both government and private sectors. The Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), a government-owned entity, and private dairy industries owe payments to farmers for milk purchased over the last four to six months. The Central Dairy Producers Cooperative Union has reported that DDC alone owes about one billion rupees, while private dairies owe between 3.5 to 4 billion rupees. Amar Kunwar, chairman of the union, said the delay in payments has severely affected farmers.

NTB Launches ‘Travel Specialist – Basic Level’ Online Course for Tourism Professionals: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has launched an online course titled “Travel Specialist – Basic Level” to enhance the knowledge, skills, and service quality of tourism professionals. The course was developed in collaboration with UNDP Nepal. It was officially launched by Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Minister Badriprasad Pandey during the inauguration of the Himalayan Travel Mart in Kathmandu.

Arch Bridge to Be Built on Modi River in Parbat Under Mid-Hill Highway: An arch bridge will be constructed over the Modi River in Parbat district under the Pushpalal Mid-Hill Highway Project. The bridge will connect Patichaur (Ward 2) and Dimuwa (Ward 6) of Modi Rural Municipality. According to engineer Kalpana Mishra of the Mid-Hill Highway Project, the bridge construction has been approved by the Bridge Department under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development.

Investment Board to Develop ‘Integrated Agrivoltaic’ Project in Udaypur: The Investment Board has decided to select a company through the ‘Swiss Challenge’ model to develop an ‘Integrated Agrivoltaic’ project at Koshi Tappu in Belka Municipality, Udaypur. ‘Integrated Agrivoltaic’ is a technology that produces agriculture and solar energy simultaneously on the same land area. Using this technology, on about three thousand bighas of land where the Koshi River changed its course, a 1,000-megawatt battery storage solar plant along with agricultural production will be developed under the ‘Integrated Agrivoltaic’ project.

Lamjung Local Levels to Receive Over NPR 3 billion in Federal Fiscal Transfers: More than three billion rupees in financial transfers from the federal government have been allocated for local levels in Lamjung. According to the inter-governmental financial transfer details published by the federal government, a total of NPR 3.1776 billion has been allocated to eight local levels in Lamjung for fiscal year 2082/083. This allocation is NPR 129.5 million higher than the current fiscal year. For fiscal year 2081/082, NPR 3.0481 billion was allocated. However, in two local levels, federal financial transfers have decreased compared to the current fiscal year.

Sikta Irrigation Project Includes Hydropower Firms in Technical Evaluation: The Sikta Irrigation Project has included companies with experience in hydropower construction in its technical evaluation process after disputes arose over limiting bids only to irrigation infrastructure firms. According to Thursday’s public notice, five companies were selected under Package 1 of Sikta’s NPR 2.5 billion contract. Likewise, under Package 5 (Duduwa Branch – Khajura and Manpur), five companies were selected for technical evaluation.

Manoj Gyawali Appointed CEO of Nabil Bank: Manoj Gyawali has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nabil Bank. The bank’s Board of Directors made the decision on Jestha 22 (June 5, 2025), appointing Gyawali for a four-year term starting Thursday, according to Company Secretary Bhishma Neupane. Gyawali had been serving as the acting CEO of the bank since Chaitra (March 2025). Before that, he was appointed Senior Deputy CEO in Poush and initially joined the bank as Deputy General Manager in July 2020.

Global IME Bank Installs EV Charging Station on World Environment Day: On the occasion of World Environment Day, Global IME Bank Limited has established an electric vehicle (EV) charging station at its corporate office in Kamaladi. The charging station was jointly inaugurated on Thursday by Bank Director Krishna Prasad Sharma, Deputy CEO Suman Pokhrel, and Prisha Shrestha, CEO of Gadi Charge Pvt. Ltd. The station is equipped with a 40-kilowatt capacity CCS2 single gun in partnership with Gadi Charge.

Gold Prices Slightly Increase in Nepal: Gold prices slightly rose in Nepal on Thursday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, hallmark gold was priced at NPR 193,700 per tola on Thursday. On Wednesday, the price of hallmark gold was NPR 193,200 per tola. Meanwhile, silver remained stable at NPR 2,075 per tola with no change from the previous day, as per the federation