KATHMANDU, Feb 2: Remittance inflows to Nepal increased sharply in the first six months of the current fiscal year 2025/26, rising by 39.1 percent year-on-year, according to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).
As per the central bank’s six-month macroeconomic and financial situation report, Nepal received remittances worth Rs 1.06 trillion (Rs 1,062.93 billion) between mid-July and mid-January (Shrawan to Poush).
In the same period last FY, remittance inflows had grown by just 4.2 percent.
Remittances worth Rs 521.63 billion flow into the country
Remittance receipts in mid-December to mid-January alone stood at Rs 192.62 billion, a significant increase from Rs 122.44 billion recorded in the corresponding month of the previous year.
In US dollar terms, remittance inflows grew by 32.3 percent during the review period to reach USD 7.50 billion. In contrast, remittance inflows had increased by only 2.7 percent in terms of dollars in the same period last year, the report stated.
The NRB data also show a sharp rise in net secondary income, which reached Rs 1,168.02 billion during the six-month period, compared to Rs 833.86 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the number of Nepali workers obtaining final labor approval for foreign employment declined during the review period. A total of 206,807 Nepalis received final labor approval for foreign employment (both institutional and individual new approvals), while 194,733 workers obtained re-entry labor approval.
In the corresponding period last year, 230,439 Nepalis had received new labor approvals, and 162,628 had obtained re-entry approvals, according to the NRB.
