Kathmandu: In association with the Banking, Finance Insurance Institute of Nepal (BFIN), PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre organised the 4th edition of its annual flagship program “Nepal BFSI Summit 2025” on 19 December 2025 at Hotel Radisson, Kathmandu. The central theme of “Nepal BFSI Summit 2025” was “Navigating Economic Transition for an Aspirational Nepal.”
In its 4th edition, the Nepal BFSI Summit 2025, with the theme “Navigating Economic Transition for an Aspirational Nepal,” deliberated on how Nepal can manage transition amidst uncertainty while preparing for future opportunities. The Summit focusedon economic reforms for inclusive development, the BFSI sector’s role in managing transitions, evolving financial landscapes, and expanding green and nature-based financing. It aimed to generate actionable insights for policymakers, regulators, and financial leaders to position BFSI as a true catalyst for industrial competitiveness, employment generation, digital resilience, and sustainable prosperity.
In his “Keynote Address”, the Chief Hurst Dr Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, said “Nepal’s aspirations combined with further simplification of doing business processes will help navigating Nepal’s economic transition with long-term advantages. Nepal’s National Planning Commission is unwavering putting up efforts for progressive policies to support the sustainable development goals.”
Amb Manjeev Singh Puri, Chair, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI & India’s Former Ambassador to Nepal, said “PHDCCI and BFIN are hosting the 4th edition of the Nepal BFSI Summit to reassure the centrality of India-Nepal bilateral cooperation to navigate the economic transition besides hosting the ideas to futher enhance the bilateral cooperation between two countries.” Speaking on the occasion, Dr Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in Nepal, reflected on the ongoing efforts to make the India-Nepal payment ecosystem robust and improved with uses of UPI interface besides allowing Rs 200 and Rs 500 currency notes the legal tenders upto value Rs 25000 for Nepal travel. He identified the BFSI sector as a key frontier of India-Nepal economic cooperation. Atul K Thakur, Senior Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI, said “To navigate the economic transition, Nepal should think deeply for economic reforms. This will have multiplier effects on the rise of key economic sectors including BFSI besides offering a much needed strong traction for Nepal’s long-term inclusive economic growth.”
Binod Chaudhary, President Emeritus, Confederation of Nepalese Industries, said “CNI and PHDCCI should work together for making the policy environment supporting ti to the inclusive economic growth in Nepal. The rise of India opens up lot of opportunities for Nepal and this is time to further strengthen India-Nepal economic cooperation.”
Bam Bahadur Mishra, Deputy Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank, said “NRB is committed for making the policies supportive for banking sector, maintaining the balance in the system with progressive policies should help the Nepalese economy emerging stronger.”
Among other key speakers were: Dr Gunakar Bhatta, Former Executive Director, Nepal Rastra Bank; Ram Kumar Tiwari, Managing Director & CEO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd; Pranav Gupta, Resident Representative (Nepal), International Monetary Fund; Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan, CEO, Nepal Clearing House Ltd; Rajesh Upadhyay, Vice President, CBFIN, Chairman, Mahalaxmi Bikas Bank Ltd; Susil Dev Subedi, Executive Director, Nepal Insurance Authority;,Ramesh Ghimire, CEO, Deposit & Credit Guarantee Fund;,Ghulam Ali, Innovative Investment Specialist, ICIMOD;,Birendra Raj Pandey, President, Confederation of Nepalese Industries; Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal, President, Nepal Chamber of Commerce; Upendra Prasad Poudyal, President, CBFIN; Chairman, Nabil Bank Ltd; Deepak Rauniar, CEO, Oorja World (Former Administrator, EPF-Nepal); Dr Rabindra Ghimire, PhD, Associate Professor of Risk Management, Insurance, and Social Security, School of Business, Pokhara University; Atit Koirala, Director of Strategic Alliance, DPU; Dr Pankaj Varshney, Professor of Finance, LBSIM, Delhi; Dr Sriharsha Bhat, Founder, Nitte Education International Pvt Ltd; Nitika Bhardwaj, Dean of International College, DPU, Thailand;,Samant Shant Priya, Professor of Marketing, Area Chair–Marketing, and Chair–International Relations, LBSIM, India.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Binod Atreya, Managing Director, BFIN, said “The “Nepal BFSI Summit 2025” facilitated a series of dynamic panel discussions and technical sessions, enabling policymakers, environmental experts, and industry leaders to exchange critical insights. This flagship annual initiative shall keep voicing for stronger support given to BFSI sector with collaboration of key stakeholders, especially from a friendly country like India.”
