Nepal’s Macroeconomic and Financial Indicators Remain Sound: NRB Report

Nepal’s overall macroeconomic and financial situation remains satisfactory, according to the latest Macroeconomic and Financial Status report released by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Sunday.

The report, based on six months of data from July 17, 2025, to January 14, 2026, shows that year-on-year inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was limited to 2.42 percent during the review period.

Foreign exchange reserves rose to Rs 3,242.45 billion, equivalent to USD 22.17 billion, which is sufficient to cover imports of goods and services for about 18.1 months, the central bank said.

During the period, the current account posted a surplus of Rs 429.91 billion, while the balance of payments recorded a surplus of Rs 501.24 billion. Remittance inflows saw strong growth, increasing by 39.1 percent in Nepali rupee terms and 32.3 percent in US dollar terms. In the Nepali month of Poush alone, remittances worth Rs 192.62 billion entered the country.

In the external trade sector, exports expanded sharply by 43.8 percent, while imports increased by 14.2 percent. On the fiscal side, total government expenditure reached Rs 690.22 billion, whereas revenue collection stood at Rs 577.40 billion during the review period.

Monetary indicators also reflected moderate expansion. Broad money supply increased by 5.4 percent during the period and by 14.2 percent on a year-on-year basis. Deposits mobilized by banks and financial institutions grew by 5.7 percent, while credit to the private sector increased by 3.6 percent. On an annual basis, deposits rose by 14.8 percent and loans by 6.7 percent.

Regarding interest rates, the weighted average interbank rate among banks and financial institutions stood at 2.75 percent. The weighted average interest rate on 91-day Treasury bills was maintained at 2.35 percent. Similarly, the average deposit rate of commercial banks was recorded at 3.56 percent, while the average lending rate stood at 7.12 percent, the NRB report stated.