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Net profit of commercial banks has gone up by a marginal 1.62 percent over the first seven months of fiscal year 2024-25. According to Nepal Rastra Bank, 20 commercial banks reported a combined net profit of Rs 36.06bn in the review period (mid-July 2024 to mid-Feb 2025). The combined net profit of 20 commercial banks was Rs 35.49bn in the review period of the previous fiscal year.

Nabil Bank has reported the highest net profit of Rs 4.01bn in the first seven months of 2024-25. Following closely are Global IME Bank Ltd and Nepal Investment Mega Ltd with net profits of Rs 3.89bn and Rs 3.43bn, respectively. Nepal Bank Ltd saw its net profit grow by a whopping 156.31 percent, rising to Rs 2.45bn in mid-February from Rs 959.17m in mid-February last year. Prabhu Bank Ltd also reported a 97.78 percent growth in its net profit to Rs 1,834.67bn in mid-February 2025. 

While net profit of most of the commercial banks have crossed the billion-rupee mark, a handful of banks are still not close to the one-billion-rupee threshold. NIC Asia Bank recorded the lowest net profit of Rs 464.7m in the seven-month period, followed by Kumari Bank (Rs 738.6m) and Agricultural Development Bank Ltd (Rs 799.9m). Siddhartha Bank (Rs 855.1bn), Citizens Bank (Rs 902.6bn) and Machhapuchchhre Bank (Rs 869.1m) have also reported net profits below Rs 1bn.

In contrast, only four commercial banks had reported net profit below one billion rupees in mid-February last year. Out of 20 commercial banks in the country, 11 managed to increase their net profit in mid-February compared to last year, while nine saw their net profit drop.  NIC Asia reported the biggest drop of 78.31 percent in its net profit, with the bank’s net profit dropping from Rs 2.14bn in mid-February last year to Rs 464.73m in mid-February. Next is Rastriya Banijya Bank Ltd, which saw a 53.83 percent drop in its report to Rs 1.23bn. Agricultural Development Bank Ltd and Siddhartha Bank also saw net profit drops of 49.16 percent and 39.7 percent to Rs 799.95m and
Rs 855.19m, respectively.

Low-interest income and the need to allocate substantial provisions for non-performing loans (NPLs) have significantly impacted the profitability of commercial banks. Despite a strong showing of
Rs 36.06bn in collective net profits in seven months, banks are grappling with a dual burden: diminished revenue from lending and rising costs to cover bad debts.

The banking system is currently awash with liquidity, with deposits rising amid slow credit disbursement. Nepal’s post-pandemic recovery has faltered because of global inflationary pressures and domestic issues like political instability and infrastructure delays, which have resulted in a slowdown in business expansion and consumer spending. As a result, banks have struggled to disburse credit effectively, leaving large pools of funds idle. This low credit off-take has directly affected interest income of banks. 

Meanwhile, the economic slowdown has affected borrowers’ ability to repay loans and pushed non-profit loan (NPL) levels higher. The surge in bad loans has forced banks to set aside sizable provisions to cushion potential losses which has eroded profitability of banks.

Thousands of supporters greeted Nepal’s former king in capital Kathmandu on Sunday and demanded his abolished monarchy be reinstated and Hinduism brought back as a state religion, Associated Press reported.

An estimated 10,000 supporters of Gyanendra Shah blocked the main entrance to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport as he arrived from a tour of western Nepal.

“Vacate the royal palace for the king. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want monarchy,” the crowds chanted. Passengers were forced to walk to and from the airport.

Hundreds of riot police blocked the protesters from entering the airport and there was no violence.

Massive street protests in 2006 forced Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule, and two years later the parliament voted to abolish the monarchy as Gyanendra left the Royal Palace to live the life of a commoner.

But many Nepalis have grown frustrated with the republic, saying it has failed to bring about political stability and blaming it for a struggling economy and widespread corruption. Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.

Rally participants said they were hoping for a change in the political system to stop the country from further deteriorating, according to Associated Press.

“We are here to give the king our full support and to rally behind him all the way to reinstating him in the royal throne,” said Thir Bahadur Bhandari, 72.

Among the thousands was 50-year-old carpenter Kulraj Shrestha, who had taken part in the 2006 protests against the king but has changed his mind and now supports the monarchy.

“The worst thing that is happening to the country is massive corruption and all politicians in power are not doing anything for the country,” Shrestha said. “I was in the protests that took away monarchy hoping it would help the country, but I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind.”

Gyanendra has not commented on the calls for the return of monarchy. Despite growing support for the former king, Gyanendra has slim chances of immediately returning to power.

He became the king in 2002, after his brother and family were massacred in the palace. He ruled as the constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute power. He disbanded the government and parliament, jailed politicians and journalists and cut off communications, declaring a state of emergency and using the army to rule the country.

Former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada's ruling Liberal Party and will succeed Justin Trudeau as prime minister, official results showed on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Carney will take over at a tumultuous time in Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with longtime ally the United States under President Donald Trump and must hold a general election soon.

Carney, 59, took 86% of votes cast to beat former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland in a contest in which just under 152,000 party members voted.

"There's someone who's trying to weaken our economy," Carney said of Trump, spurring loud boos at the party gathering. "He's attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can't let him succeed."

"This won’t be business as usual," Carney said. "We will have to do things that we haven’t imagined before, at speeds we didn’t think possible."

Trudeau announced in January that he would step down after more than nine years in power as his approval rating plummeted, forcing the ruling Liberal Party to run a quick contest to replace him, according to Reuters.

"Make no mistake, this is a nation-defining moment. Democracy is not a given. Freedom is not a given. Even Canada is not a given," Trudeau said.

Carney, a political novice, argued that he was best placed to revive the party and to oversee trade negotiations with Trump, who is threatening additional tariffs that could cripple Canada's export-dependent economy.

Trudeau has imposed C$30 billion of retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to tariffs Trump levied on Canada.

"My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect," Carney said.

Carney's win marks the first time an outsider with no real political background has become Canadian prime minister. He has said his experience as the first person to serve as the governor of two G7 central banks - Canada and England - meant he was the best candidate to deal with Trump.

The prospect of a fresh start for the Liberal Party under Carney, combined with Trump's tariffs and his repeated taunts to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state, led to a remarkable revival of Liberal fortunes.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 20. 68 points to close at 2, 751.42 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 53 points to close at 459. 76 points.

A total of 15,094,915-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 8. 37 billion.

Meanwhile, NESDO Sambridha Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (NESDO) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. Likewise, Upakar Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (ULBSL) was the top loser as its price fell by 6. 98 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 56 trillion.

Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut has said that judges should work in a judicious manner.

Inaugurating the Second Conference of Women Judges-2081 organized on the occasion of the International Day of Women Judges today, he asserted that the judges should carry out their works keeping in mind the judiciary's prestige and dignity.

"While taking pride in the presence of women judges, it is necessary to pay attention to fair justice and to making prudent decisions. It is necessary to work keeping in mind the dignity and prestige of the court so that the consumer of justice gets justice,” the Chief Justice said.

He expressed the belief that although women judges have to juggle work at home, family and justice delivery, success will surely be achieved if they work hard.

Nepal's first woman Chief Justice Sushila Karki said the presence of women judges has been improving in the last three years, and it is necessary that they enhance their capacity, courage and studies.

She stressed the need for women judges to be competent while making judicial decisions without any fear.

Senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Sapana Pradhan Malla, said that the presence of women judges is important even though it is not that only women judges are sensitive while serving justice. She pointed out the need for women judges to pay more attention to capacity building and studies as well.

Supreme Court Judge and Judges Society Chair Til Prasad Shrestha said such conferences were necessary for enhancing the quality of justice and would also facilitate the execution of justice.

General Secretary of Judges Society Nepal, Tek Narayan Kunwar, said that the conference was organized with the objective of holding necessary discussions on women's participation in the judicial sector and gender equality in the judiciary.

A total of 60 people including 50 women judges and 10 former chief justices and judges are participating in the conference.

On the occasion, Chief Justice Raut honored the first woman Chief Justice Karki for her contribution to the judicial sector.

Discussions are being held on various issues related to inclusiveness in the judiciary and representation of women judges, challenges and possibilities.

The first national conference of women judges was held on March 22, 2024.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asserted that the private sector has a significant contribution to make in creating employment in the country.

Inaugurating the National Labor and Employment Conference, 2081 today, PM Oli expressed the view that the role of private sector would be more crucial as the government has been carrying out activities to bring change in country's situation by developing entrepreneurship as well as to materialize national aspiration 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali'.

Attention should be paid to increase production and productivity by utilizing the science and technology at maximum as there would be no growth in the country's economy if employment opportunities are not created in the country, he shared.

Prime Minister Oli stressed the need of carrying out activities to produce capable human resources who can compete in the global market and to create maximum employment in the country.  

On the occasion, National Skill Development Corporation and Employer Company signed a memorandum of understanding.

Similarly, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security and Swiss Agency also signed MoU for the expansion of integrated market information system under Prime Minister Employment Program.

Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that there is no problem among the parties in running the government.

Talking briefly to journalists at Dhangadhi airport today, Deuba made it clear that the current ruling alliance would continue till 2084 BS.

Responding to a question, Deuba said only rumors were being made in favor of monarchy.

He said, "I have not seen any atmosphere (for the reinstatement of monarchy), it is just a rumor, nothing happens by making noise.”

Nepali Congress President Deuba and other leaders of the party have reached Dhangadhi today to attend the party's Sudurpaschim province-level conference.

While information communication technology (ICT)is growing at a rapid pace, women constitute only 7.88 percent of the workforce in Nepal’s ICT companies, with an even lower representation of 0.51 percent in ICT-enabled companies, a recent study conducted by Women in Information Technology (WIIT) shows.

The study titled “Barriers to Breakthroughs: Women in Nepal’s Information and Communication Technology Landscape’ states that disparity is particularly pronounced in larger organizations.

Despite comprising 51.02 percent of the population, women make up only 0.5 percent of the economically active workforce in ICT. Women’s participation in ICT leadership roles is also limited, with only 19.55 percent of women in the sector holding managerial or executive positions. While women have higher university enrollment rates compared to men, only 13.55 percent of registered engineers in the ICT field are women, according to the Nepal Engineering Council.

The majority of Nepal’s women ICT professionals fall within the 18-35 age group. There is a significant decline of women ICT professionals aged over 35 mainly due to societal expectations surrounding marriage and child-rearing, the study shows. 

Several factors, including societal norms, limited access to technical education and a lack of mentorship opportunities, contribute to this under-representation. One of the most significant barriers identified in the study is the pervasive unconscious bias in hiring and promotions. Many surveyed women reported being overlooked for leadership roles despite having the same qualifications and experience as their male counterparts. Additionally, nearly half of the respondents cited work-life balance as a major challenge, with societal expectations often placing disproportionate caregiving and household responsibilities on women.

While 67.7 percent of companies offer flexible work arrangements, 32.3 percent do not, leaving many women struggling to balance professional and personal commitments. This lack of supportive workplace policies further exacerbates the challenges women face in sustaining long-term careers in ICT, according to the study.

Even though women are under-represented in the sector, the study revealed a silver lining in terms of pay equity. A significant 87.9 percent of women in the ICT sector reported no pay disparity compared to their male counterparts.  In contrast, countries like India and Bangladesh report a 15-20 percent gender pay gap in the ICT sector.

To increase the participation of women in the ICT sector, the study encourages aspiring young women to gain hands-on experience through internships, mentorship and participation in industry-focused workshops. It also called on women to leverage online learning platforms to acquire advanced skills in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data analytics.

Employers must, according to the study,implement inclusive workplace policies, including flexible work arrangements, mentorship programs, and targeted recruitment initiatives to increase participation of women in the ICT sector. It also called on the government to revise labor laws to promote workplace safety, flexible work arrangements and equitable recruitment practices. The government should also facilitate mentorship programs and leadership quotas to support women’s professional growth and networking opportunities, it added.