Kathmandu: UNDP, in collaboration with the Deposit & Credit Guarantee Fund, convened banks and financial institutions to discuss Nepal’s first-ever Individual Credit Guarantee Scheme.
The scheme aims to overcome collateral barriers and benefit around 3,000 households across Karnali, Sudarpashchim, and Bagmati and is designed to ease access to credit for farmers, agri-MSMEs, and agri-cooperatives—especially youth, women, and marginalised communities.
With 35 participants, including CEOs and senior executives from 17 commercial banks, the interaction fostered open dialogue to refine the scheme for real-world impact.
Julien Chevillard, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Nepal, emphasised co-creation for implementable solutions. At the same time, Om Prakash Bhattarai, Under Secretary, Ministry of Finance, highlighted the role of innovative finance in accelerating progress toward the SDGs. Similarly, DCGF CEO Ramesh Ghimire confirmed that stakeholder inputs will be incorporated before board approval.
