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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 23. 99 points to close at 2, 707. 85 points on Wednesday.

The sensitive index surged by 5. 12 points to close at 464. 82 points.

A total of 15,822,970-unit shares of 316 companies were traded for Rs 7. 45 billion.

Meanwhile, Barun Hydropower Co. Ltd. (BARUN) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 6. 21 percent. Likewise, Green Development Bank Ltd. (GRDBL) was the top loser as its price fell by 4. 41 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 50 trillion.

The construction of a state-of-the-art aviation fuel depot has been completed at Pokhara Regional International Airport. Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) undertook the project, which marks a milestone as the first aviation fuel depot built entirely with indigenous skills and capital in the corporation’s 55-year history, according to Project Chief Engineer Pradeep Kumar Yadav.

Construction began on 17 July 2023, and has been completed within the stipulated two-year timeframe. The depot is expected to be officially inaugurated in July. Covering 9,215 square meters within the airport premises, the depot was established under a five-year lease agreement with the Civil Aviation Authority, with provisions for renewal. Although the initial tender for the project was invited on 15 March 2021, in line with the Public Procurement Act, delays led to the contract being awarded only on 15 Nov 2022, to the lowest bidder. Subsequently, the land lease agreement was signed on 1 Jan 2023.

The depot includes three large vertical storage tanks, each with a capacity of 1,200 kiloliters, totaling 3,600 kiloliters of aviation fuel. Each tank stands 12 meters high and has a diameter of 12 meters. The facility is equipped with two 230-horsepower diesel fire-fighting pumps, a 15-horsepower jockey pump, and an 8-inch pipeline for fire suppression.

A dedicated 1,200-kiloliter water tank has also been constructed to enhance safety, directly connected to the fire-fighting infrastructure. Additionally, a 4,000-liter foam storage tank, integrated with the fire-fighting system, provides further protection by releasing foam alongside water during emergencies to quickly suppress fires.

The depot is equipped with micron filters (1 and 5 microns) for loading and unloading operations and uses API-standard storage tanks and iron piping to maintain safety and quality. Fuel is transferred from tankers to the storage tanks via a specialized aviation fuel pipeline system. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 750m (excluding VAT).

Merchandise exports surged by an impressive 77.8 percent over the first eleven months of the fiscal year 2024-25, reaching Rs. 247.57bn, the latest macroeconomic situation update from the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows. The growth marks a sharp rebound from the three percent decline recorded during the same period last year.

While exports to India, Nepal’s largest trading partner, went up by a whopping 112.6 percent, exports to China and other countries saw modest increases of three and 4.4 percent, respectively. The export of soybean oil, polyester yarn and thread, jute goods, tea and rosin increased during the period. However, exports of palm oil, zinc sheets, juice, readymade garments and cardamom declined.

Meanwhile, merchandise imports went up by 13.1 percent to Rs. 1,644.80bn in the review period, compared to a 1.8 percent decline in the same period last year. Imports from India, China and other countries rose by 7.6 percent, 15.3 percent and 29.5 percent, respectively. Items like crude soybean oil, rice and paddy, vehicles and spare parts, edible oil and sponge iron contributed to import growth. However, imports of petroleum products, gold, electrical equipment, fertilizers and coal suffered.

Although exports have posted a remarkable growth, the low export volume meant Nepal’s deficit widened by 6.3 percent to Rs 1,397.23bn over the 11-month period. However, the export-import ratio improved to 15.1 percent, up from 9.6 percent, indicating relatively better export performance.

In the service sector, the net service income remained negative at Rs 97.33bn, with travel payments, including Rs 124.8bn for education alone, outpacing travel income. Remittances, however, increased by 15.5 percent to Rs 1,532.93bn over the first 11 months of 2024/25. In US dollar terms, remittances rose 12.7 percent to $11.25bn. The remittance growth was supported by a strong labor migration sector. A total of 452,000 Nepali workers received new approvals for foreign employment, while over 308,000 renewed their approvals.

The healthy growth in remittances helped the country post a current account surplus of Rs 307.31bn, up from a surplus of Rs 200.38bn in the same period of the previous fiscal year. The balance of payments (BoP) also recorded a surplus of Rs 491.44bn, up from Rs 425.67bn a year earlier. Foreign direct investment (equity only) climbed 34.7 percent to Rs 11.09bn, while net capital transfers amounted to Rs 8.96bn, according to the report.

Foreign exchange reserves also rose by 25.9 percent to Rs 2,569.38bn in mid-June 2025, up from
Rs 2,041.10bn in mid-June 2024. In US dollar terms, the reserves rose by 22.2 percent to $18.65bn from $15.27bn over the same period. Of the total reserves, those held by the central bank climbed 23 percent to Rs 2,274.47bn, while reserves held by banks and financial institutions soared by 53.2 percent to Rs 294.92bn.

The share of Indian currency in total reserves stood at 20.5 percent in mid-June 2025. The foreign exchange level is sufficient to cover 17.6 months of prospective merchandise imports and 14.7 months of merchandise and services imports, according to the report.

Remittance inflow has reached Rs 1,532 billion in 11 months of the current fiscal year. 

As per the Current Macroeconomic and Financial report released today, the remittance inflow has increased by 15.5 percent during the reporting period as compared to the previous fiscal year. It had increased by 17.2 percent in the previous fiscal year. 

Similarly, the remittance inflow was Rs 176.32 billion from May 15 to June 14 in the current fiscal year.

In  the same period last year, the inflow was Rs 128.91 billion. 

In the US dollar terms, remittance inflow has increased by 12.7 percent to reach Rs 11.25 billion in the review period compared to an increase of 15.2 percent in the same period last year. 

Likewise, net secondary income (net transfer) has reached Rs 1,668 billion in the review period. It was Rs 1,443 billion in the same period last fiscal year. 

According to the report, the number of Nepali workers – both institutional and individual who took first-time approval for foreign employment was 452,324 while those obtaining approval for renewed entry was 308,067 in number. 

Last year, the numbers were 421,356 and 261,210, respectively.