<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131120/636ced119c7e80680e09ada1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="670" height="432"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Nepal Investment and Himalayan banks are merging in two months to become the largest financial institution in the country with total combined paid-up capital of Rs26.94 billion, Rs311 billion in deposits and Rs287 billion in loans.As per the new agreement signed on Thursday, the chairperson of Nepal Investment Bank Prithvi Bahadur Pandey will keep his post in the new bank jointly named Himalayan and Nepal Investment Bank. The CEO of Himalayan Bank Ashok Rana will also retain his title. Jyoti Pandey, the current CEO of Investment Bank will be the Deputy CEO.A total of 2,500 people will be employed in the new bank. And, even if a dozen branches are relocated, after the merger, 152 branches of both the existing banks will provide services across the country.The merger of two of the largest banks in the country has put pressure on others to do the same. Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has been pushing for a merger to reduce the number of banks and financial institutions and plans to put up a compulsory merger policy if banks and financial institutions don’t merge voluntarily.

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Nepal Investment and Himalayan Bank merge

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84f29c7e80680e0677c4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="670" height="432"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Nepal Investment and Himalayan banks are merging in two months to become the largest financial institution in the country with total combined paid-up capital of Rs26.94 billion, Rs311 billion in deposits and Rs287 billion in loans.As per the new agreement signed on Thursday, the chairperson of Nepal Investment Bank Prithvi Bahadur Pandey will keep his post in the new bank jointly named Himalayan and Nepal Investment Bank. The CEO of Himalayan Bank Ashok Rana will also retain his title. Jyoti Pandey, the current CEO of Investment Bank will be the Deputy CEO.A total of 2,500 people will be employed in the new bank. And, even if a dozen branches are relocated, after the merger, 152 branches of both the existing banks will provide services across the country.The merger of two of the largest banks in the country has put pressure on others to do the same. Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has been pushing for a merger to reduce the number of banks and financial institutions and plans to put up a compulsory merger policy if banks and financial institutions don’t merge voluntarily.

The market has gone into a tailspin as the private sector awaits the Communist government's economic roadmap <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/636517329c7e80680e02c261jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1908" height="961"/>The Rastra Bank has injected Rs15 billion in new currency notes since mid-February, which is the highest amount ever pumped into the economy in just one month.But the share market has hit a new low, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/Remittance,4123">remittance</a> is down to alarmingly low levels despite migrant workers earning more overseas, and despite the promise of economic upturn.At the core of the crisis is the new united Communist government’s inability to clearly state what its economic policy is. There is hope for growth and development, but there is also fear for tighter regulations.On 15 February, when UML Chair KP Oli was sworn in as new prime minister, there was Rs461 billion in circulation, and the Rastra Bank topped it up. But where has the money vanished?The NRB officials say businessmen and traders here are hoarding currency, because they still don’t trust Indian currency after India's demonetisation drive in 2016. The demand for Indian bills has plummeted -- from INR500 million to INR150 million a day.But that is not the only reason. Nepali businessmen and traders are dealing more in the informal economy, and even channeling funds into India fearing tighter measures at home.After the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2017/12/09/the-rise-of-the-red/">Left Alliance won a landslide in last year's elections</a>, the share market has crashed 300 points. Big players in this sector are fast divesting, and mutual funds are stagnant.A trader told Nepali Times: "Those who had been simultaneously running businesses in Nepal and India are slowly withdrawing from here."The number of outbound migrant workers has declined, but it is still higher than returnees. Their salaries have increased in most countries in recent months, but remittance inflows have been going down except for a slight growth in January.Analysts suspect migrant workers’ earnings are coming through illegal channels like ‘hundi’ paying their families here in Nepali currency. Hundi operators are abetting capital flight, and aggravating the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/crunching-the-numbers-on-credit/">credit crunch</a>.Prime Minister Oli's party won a landslide in last year's elections on the promise of economic growth. But he is finding it difficult to reassure investors. At a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/india-nepal-start-ups/">South Asian business conclave in Kathmandu last week</a>, Oli said his government will partner with the private sector, but looks like there is a lot of nervousness.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/bottom-up-approach/">Oli's selection of Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada</a> and Industry Minister Matrika Yadav did not reassure the private sector. Both are considered market unfriendly. Khatiwada has already upset businessmen by introducing a new measure to fix customs duties to supposedly discourage tax evasion.Shekhar Golchha, Vice Chair of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), says: "The private sector is suspicious of the Communist government because of its political ideology, but we should wait until it unveils its economic roadmap."“When Malaysian Ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visited Kathmandu in 2014, I asked him about the essence of the Malaysian model of development. His reply: "The State acted as a facilitator, encouraging the private sector to accelerate economic growth."In Nepal, I was given the runaround for four months to have an Environment Impact Assessment approved. If the government wants to encourage the private sector to drive economic growth, it must end this rent-seeking culture. The private sector may have its own flaws, but it is the real players in any economy.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/636517359c7e80680e02c262jpeg.jpg" alt="Chandra Dhakal">Chandra DhakalVice Chair, FNCCI“There are as many as 26 laws that regulate Nepali industries and businesses. Can we not just have one integrated law? The private sector is often accused of running cartels to earn more profits, which may be true to an extent. The government must do away with syndicates, but the entire private sector should not be painted with the same brush.Nepal has seen the rise of the new rich in the last two decades of political instability. They have always had an easy access to the power corridors, and have been allowed to plunder resources. The new government must stay away from them.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/636517379c7e80680e02c263jpeg.jpg" alt="Hari Bhakta Sharma">Hari Bhakta SharmaChair, Confederation of Nepalese Industries“The end of the political transition is encouraging, but the new government must clearly tell us what role it expects from us, how it intends to partner with us and what it will do to remove policy hurdles. We are in a state of wait and see. The government has always been keen to increase revenue collection. It has done little to help us.  We face a lot of bureaucratic hassles even to obtain approval for a simple commercial advertisement of our products. Now we hear that some local governments are imposing more taxes on local industries and even shutting down some banks. That only increases our fear.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/636517389c7e80680e02c264jpeg.jpg" alt="Pashupati Muraraka">Pashupati MurarkaEx-Chair, FNCCI“More than 500,000 Nepali youth enter the labour market every year. Only 20% of them get jobs within the country, only 7% them in the formal sector. The base of a digital economy has been created in Nepal, and the government must capitalise on it. It must promote e-commerce to control tax evasion and reduce the size of information economy.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/6365173a9c7e80680e02c265jpeg.jpg" alt="Saurabh Jhoti">Saurabh JyotiJyoti Group“If the government views the private sector as an engine of economic growth, it must trust us. The government should facilitate business, not get into it itself. That is our job. We finally have a stable government, and many industrialists and businessmen are encouraged to invest more. But a lot will depend on what the new government's economic policy will be, and how it will engage us.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221104141144/6365173c9c7e80680e02c266jpeg.jpg" alt="Anjan Shrestha">Anjan ShresthaLaxmi GroupRead also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/crunching-the-numbers-on-credit/">Crunching the numbers on credit</a>, Ramesh Kumar and Sikuma Rai<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/bottom-up-approach/">Bottom-up approach</a>, Siddhant Raj Pandey<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/guest-editorial/banking-crisis-explained,1096">Banking crisis explained</a>, Suman Joshi

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Why the private sector is spooked

Who is accountable for teacher-student relationships?

Of the nearly 19 million eligible voters in next week’s election in Nepal, an estimated 5 million are abroad and cannot cast their ballots. Many others within Nepal must travel to their home districts, and might decide not to because of the cost.
Flights into Kathmandu these days are full of global Nepalis returning just to vote, but almost as many are leaving for overseas jobs. Most of those coming or going are in the 20-40 age group, and a majority want Nepal to see a change in leadership.
Bangladesh held an election this month in which citizens overseas could vote by mail.&nbsp;
“Bangladesh made maximum use of technology not just for campaigning but also for polling itself. We could have also managed this, so people within Nepal did not have to travel to their home districts to vote,” says Mohna Ansari, former head of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission who was an election observer in Bangladesh.
A 3-day holiday has been declared so people can travel to their home constituencies to cast ballots. Even if there was not enough time to manage ballots for overseas Nepalis, it could have been done for Nepalis within Nepal.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel reckons that physical voting in countries with a large Nepali diaspora would have been a logistical nightmare, but in the PR system, using electronic voting machines or paper ballot could have been piloted in some places. It is not possible to manage the entire voting process until we introduce the internet voting system.
“First of all, there needs to be political will to bring the policy and be ready to undertake that level of investment and it is not a one-time cost,” Pokharel says. “A government formed by the GenZ could have atr least issed an ordinance ensuring this right, piloted out-of-country voting where possible, which could have built pressure for the future Parliament and the government. It would have given people hope. It is a lost opportunity.”
All major political parties called for voting rights for global Nepalis in their manifestos, but these very leaders blocked legislation allowing it despite a 2017 Supreme Court ruling out of fear that it would be anti-incumbent.&nbsp;
<h2>Why so late?</h2>
Bangladesh delivered election results in just one day, but the final results of Nepal's last local polls in 2022 including that of Kathmandu constituencies took nearly a month.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said this week that the results of the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) ballot counting would “likely” be published within 24 hours of the poll closing at 5PM on 5 March. But many are skeptical.
“I wonder if we lack the capacity or know-how to announce results as quickly as possible,” says Mohna Ansari.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Pokharel says manual ballot paper counting in Nepal is inherently slow because of the large numner of political parties and/or candidates on the ballot, the counting mechanism, the political behaviour of the candidates/parties and some managerial issues during counting.
“Our present policy is to count all the ballot papers at the returning officers' officies, located at the district headquarters. It requires collecting ballot boxes safetly first. This takes time, and there have been cases of ballot boxes being damaged or stolen during transport. In a few highly difficult, geographically remote polling centres, we use a helicopter or transport. But sometimes, accommodating the party and candidates' representatives remains challenging,” explains Pokharel. A solution could be counting ballots at the very booths where they are cast.
Another reason for the delay is simply the number of political parties, and the need for each ballot paper to be examined by booth representatives for consensus. In close races, the smallest difference can lead to tense situations, further delaying results, even though counting centres are protected by metal fencing so there is no disruption.
After this, then it is the turn of Proportional Representation (PR) ballots to be counted. Weeks pass by the time the results of candidates and parties are tallied and verified. But the most common delay is because election officers think ballot counting is a nine-to-five job.&nbsp;
“The efficiency of poll station officers is most important, and they are incentivised for this,” says Ansari, adding that counting can even start within an hour after voting closes.
In remote areas, local resources could be mobilised to make counting quicker, but there is a crisis of trust, adds Ansari.&nbsp;
That could be easily solved with electronic voting which the EC implemented in the 2008 polls but discontinued because political parties felt the machines could be hacked or manipulated.

Nepalis Select Who To Elect

On Saturday, Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar, a region where there are an estimated 2 million Nepalis working to send money home. In addition, thousands of Nepalis were preparing to board flights to Kathmandu from West Asian cities this weekend to vote in the 5 March election. Many are said to be stranded at various aviation hubs. A Qatar Airways flight from Doha took off just before the air space was closed, while Air Arabia and Kuwait Airways have diverted or cancelled flights. Nepalis in the West Asian region said things were relatively calm where they were, although some heard loud explosions at about noon local time. In Dubai, some thought they were Ramadan fireworks.&nbsp; In Kuwait, nearly 2,000 Nepalis working in the US military base as security guards and cleaners were evacuated before the strikes. In Bahrain where the US Fifth Fleet naval base is located and which was hit by two Iranian missiles, workers contacted by Nepali Times said the situation was under control and the authorities had told everyone to stay indoors and not use highways. The conflict also coincided with the beginning of Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering season, and tourists were either on their way or planning to leave European and North American cities for Himalayan hikes. Most of them transit through Doha, Dubai or Kuwait and all three airports are closed. Turkish Airlines flights via Istanbul are still operating.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97" data-rendition-name="original" width="1864" height="826" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar and UAE airspace closed"> <figcaption>Qatar and UAE airspace closed. Credit: Flightradar24</figcaption> </figure>  However, the main impact for the world could be a spike in the price of petroleum products if the strategic Strait of Hormuz is blocked. China relies on Iranian oil for their refineries, and Nepal could be affected indirectly if the economies of its neighbours are hit. Nepal imports all its diesel, petrol, LPG and aviation fuel from India which sources it mainly from the Gulf, and until recently from Russia. Petroleum makes up 25% of the value of all imports, and that is more than Nepal earns from all its exports. Saudi Arabia this year overtook the UAE as the main destination for Nepali workers, with the number now totalling 400,000. There are said to be as many in the UAE, and another 350,000 in Qatar. There are another 100,000 mostly women in Kuwait, and 50,000 each in Oman and Bahrain.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="West Asia Iran conflict"> <figcaption>Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar on Saturday.</figcaption> </figure>  Nepal receives nearly $11 billion a year in remittances from overseas Nepalis (not counting India) through official channels, although the total is said to be much more. &nbsp;This makes up more than a quarter of Nepal’s GDP equivalent — one of the highest proportions in the world. More than half of the overseas remittances to Nepal comes from its workers in the Gulf, and it is the mainstay of the country’s economy. Nepalis in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE alone send home more than $3 billion a year, much of that helping support their families back home. An average Nepali worker in the Gulf sends home nearly $2,500 a year, and this is spent mainly for household supplies, children’s education and healthcare. There are also an estimated 7,000 Nepali caregivers and healthcare workers in Israel, and most of them are women. The Nepal Embassy has asked Nepalis in Israel to take caution and move to bomb shelters.

West Asia war and Nepalis

If you did not watch the understated movie उनको स्विटर / (The Woolen Sweater) after it was released in May last year, you missed a major turning point in Nepali cinema. Much-hyped films fall short of expectations, but here is an exquisitely acted and directed production with a strong underlying message of tolerance. What a contrast from formulaic melodramatic Kollywood fare — a love story so simple, cinematography so subtle in capturing the beauty of the monsoon on mountain pastures, and a background folk song accompaniment that evokes the flavour and tenor of multi-ethnic eastern Nepal. Since its release, Unko Sweater received praise in Nepal, but it was in multiplexes across Nepaliphone India where the movie became a rage. Positive reviews spread by word of mouth on social media, where the script, performance and camera work were praised for reflecting a genuine and unsullied rural Nepal. The movie is a layered portrayal of caste, ethnicity, gender and culture with the tender romance between the shy Dharanidhar Kafle (Bipin Karki) and Phool Gurung (Miruna Magar) in which the two, despite being soulmates, have to deal with societal norms and gossip. They do this without rebelling, in their own quiet way. In the first scene in a crowded jeep, people are seen discussing an election. An elderly greying Kafle is headed home, and the rest of the movie has back and forth flashbacks revealing the story of his unspoken affection for Phool. But there is an undercurrent of ethnic rigidity. When Kafle’s brother Dambar elopes with Iksha Limbu, the repercussions are borne by both families. Then Kafle’s uncle is banished for being an outcast.&nbsp; Miruna Magar as Phool, as an ebullient woman, is in contrast to the introverted Kafle, who does not say much but has a melodious singing voice. As the plot thickens, Kafle is shown to be bound by circumstances that pose obstacles to his love for Phool. The storyline delicately shows how life and situations constantly force people to shift direction. Despite underlying differences, the various castes and ethnicities in this fictitious village near the Sikkim border get along because they have to. There is an interdependence between highland farmers and other ethnicities living down the valley that is at the heart of Nepal’s ethnic harmony. Despite taboos about interethnic and intercaste relationships, people still have trust and faith amongst each other. There is no time reference to the story, but it does speak of a nostalgic era decades ago when rural Nepal was not yet connected by roads and phones, when people had no choice but to get along. Things have changed now with outmigration, and education has blurred ethnic lines. A QUIET LOVE Director Nabin Chauhan is not in your face with his message, giving viewers a hint of deep rooted traditional values that still govern society. Each character adds to the storyline, validating the way they behave, pushing the plot forward.&nbsp; There are many emotions that are intricately woven into the plot, and the most prominent, of course, is love. Not the showy, lustful way it is shown in flamboyant formula films, but a quiet bond that does not need words, a silence, a glance and a gesture conveying the universe of love. When Phool asks Kafle what he will do if they cannot be together, he says he will build her a house with a beautiful garden of flowers in the meadows where he herds livestock. He builds it awaiting her return, while Phool knits him a sweater, the symbol of their interwoven love. In screenings of the film in Nepal and India, there has not been a dry eye in the audience. The background score and music by Kobid Bazra and the powerful rendition by Jhuma Limbu of the ‘Kafle’ strike a strong chord. The cinematography by Chintan Rajbhandari does not glamourise Nepal’s rural landscape, it is shown in its raw misty beauty as a constant backdrop. The viewer is uplifted by the notion that love transcends social restrictions and orthodoxies.&nbsp; The ending is left deliberately unfinished, possibly to make way for a sequel which we can only hope will be as compelling as उनको स्विटर. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260301060348_42480e8b6934c9a5c518c44c2970748b341bbbf290c2b303b6aa6359d883567b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260301060348_42480e8b6934c9a5c518c44c2970748b341bbbf290c2b303b6aa6359d883567b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="560" loading="lazy" alt="Unko Sweater"> </figure>  उनको स्विटर / (The Woolen Sweater) Artmandu Nepal, 2025 Directed by Nabin Chauhan 145 minutes Available now on YouTube <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCgtmgiII7M?si=MirwKOwKmxE3jLS6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

banks

Nepal Investment and Himalayan Bank merge

Nepal Investment and Himalayan Bank merge

Why the private sector is spooked

Who is accountable for teacher-student relationships?

Nepalis Select Who To Elect

West Asia war and Nepalis

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