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Total lending by commercial banks during the first eight months of the fiscal year 2024/25 has increased by 6.12 percent, reaching Rs 4,851bn, according to the Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA).

This growth reflects a gradual recovery in economic activities and an uptick in demand for credit from businesses and individuals. The 20 commercial banks operating in the country collectively disbursed an additional Rs 280bn in loans between mid-July 2024 and mid-March 2025.

The NBA’s data reveals that the highest credit disbursement occurred in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January), with banks lending Rs 94bn. This was followed by Rs 56bn in Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October), Rs 53bn in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), and Rs 42bn in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December).

However, not all banks experienced growth in loan disbursement. Global IME Bank, Kumari Bank, NIC Asia Bank, Siddhartha Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank reported a decline in their loan portfolios compared to the previous month. For instance, Global IME Bank’s total credit disbursement dropped by Rs 1.51bn, bringing its total loan investment to Rs 429bn. Similarly, Kumari Bank’s loan investment decreased by Rs 480 million to Rs 301.09bn, while NIC Asia Bank saw a reduction from Rs 252.45bn to Rs 242.9bn over the same period.

 The government has set an ambitious target of increasing credit disbursement by 12.5 percent in the current fiscal year. However, the data from the first eight months suggests that achieving this target may be difficult. The slow growth in credit disbursement, coupled with economic uncertainties, has raised concerns among stakeholders about the banking sector’s ability to meet the government's expectations.

 On the other hand, total deposits in commercial banks grew by 4.9 percent to Rs 6,037bn during the eight-month period, up from Rs 5,755bn in mid-July 2024. Over this period, commercial banks added Rs 282bn in deposits, with the highest increase of Rs 133bn recorded in Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October). Other notable increases included Rs 73bn in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), Rs 51bn in Poush (mid-December to mid-January), Rs 40bn in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), and Rs 33bn in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December).

The price of gold has reached an all-time high in the domestic market on Wednesday, setting a new historical record.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Traders, the price of gold has increased by Rs 800 per tola to reach Rs 176, 000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 175, 200 per tola on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the price of silver has seen a slight decline. The price of silver has dropped by Rs 5 and is being traded at Rs 2,045 per tola.

The commercial charter flight has been operated from Pokhara International Airport to Chengdu in Sichuan Province of China for the first time.

Two years after the inauguration of the airport, the first commercial charter flight took place from Pokhara to Chengdu on Tuesday.

The first-ever Pokhara-Chengdu commercial flight was operated under the leadership of Pokhara Tourism Council in collaboration with Pokhara Metropolitan City, Chinese Embassy in Nepal, Sichuan Airlines and Chinese Association in Nepal.

It may be noted that it was materialized after continuous efforts from different fronts, including the private sector for international flights from the Pokhara International Airport.

Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Pokhara Tourism Council Chair Taranath Pahari, Nepal Tourism Board Gandaki Province Chief Maniraj Lamichhane, Pokhara Visit Year-2025 Performance Committee Coordinator Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai and a 126-member team of tourism entrepreneurs and media persons have come to Chengdu to promote tourism.

Nepali Consul General to China Suresh Raut, high-ranking officials of Sichuan Province and representatives of Sichuan Airlines, among others, welcomed the Pokharel team at Chengdu Airport.

On the occasion, Mayor Acharya said that the first commercial charter flight has been made with the continuous efforts of the Metropolitan City, Pokhara Tourism Council at a time when international flights could not be operated from Pokhara International Airport. The Chinese Embassy also held discussions on 'B2B' between tourism entrepreneurs of the two countries regarding tourism development of Pokhara.

The Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023. 

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 7. 66 points to close at 2, 697. 04 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 1. 06 points to close at 452. 89 points.

 A total of 8,237,902-unit shares of 313 companies were traded for Rs 4. 34 billion.

Meanwhile, Mithila LaghuBitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (MLBBL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 96 percent. Likewise, Samudayik Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SLBSL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 21 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 47 trillion.