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The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) surged by 38. 52 points to close at 2, 712. 49 points on Tuesday. 

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 6. 25 points to close at 465. 99 points.

A total of 15,184,607-unit shares of 329 companies were traded for Rs 1. 55 billion.

Meanwhile, Salapa Bikas Bank Limited (SABBL) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 99 percent.

Shuvam Power Limited (SPL)was the top loser as its price fell by 2. 53 points. 

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

Dust, mud and frequent traffic congestion have made daily travel along the Suryabinayak–Sanga road section increasingly difficult for commuters. Rohit Shrestha, 26 was travelling with his grandmother in a scooter when the tire slipped and they fell in the muddy road at Sanga. He said that the road has been in a very poor state for some time, but he hopes to see it being constructed soon. In the same way, local shopkeepers say dust has affected business and have caused health issues too due to dust, while commuters complain about traffic jams during peak hours.

Ranjana Siwakoti, a regular public bus commuter, says the ongoing road construction has made daily travel exhausting. She said it now takes around 15 to 20 minutes to reach Suryabinayak from Jagati—a short stretch that previously required far less time. According to her, traffic congestion, dusty conditions and uneven road surfaces have made the journey increasingly difficult for passengers.

These commuting challenges are largely due to the ongoing expansion of the 16-kilometer Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel section of the Araniko Highway, which began in January 2023. The project aims to widen the road into six lanes and has been divided into two sections—Suryabinayak–Sanga and Sanga–Dhulikhel. Progress in the Sanga–Dhulikhel stretch has been faster compared to the Suryabinayak–Sanga section.

Engineers say delays in the Suryabinayak–Sanga section were mainly due to house demolitions, relocation of utilities, intersection management and the dismantling of structures built against road setback rules.

Officials explained that a provision requiring space to be left while constructing houses was introduced in 1975 during the construction of the Araniko Highway. Houses built without following the protocol had to be removed, and since many were on private property, coordination with owners and authorities took additional time. Some structures still remain, requiring further coordination at different government levels. Authorities, however, say the project can meet its deadline if work continues at the current pace and resources are mobilized smoothly.

Currently, in the Suryabinayak–Sanga section, one lane is being layered with Cement Treated Base, which will be followed by a crack relief layer, Dense Bituminous Macadam and finally asphalt. According to Pradeep Tamang, engineer at the Department of Roads, work on the left lane has also been started from Suryabinayak. He added that currently, the project employs 110 human resources.

Tamang said there had been some budget-related issues in the past, but authorities are now providing additional funds. Rs 60m had been allocated for the current fiscal year, which was considered insufficient. The project has now requested an additional Rs 4bn to continue the work smoothly. He expressed hope that similar financial support will continue in the coming days to ensure steady progress of the project. He also acknowledged that local residents have faced several difficulties due to the construction work and said efforts are being made to complete the project smoothly and at a faster pace with the support of local authorities. He added that preparations are underway for the rainy season, noting that there are only three to four effective working months left for fiscal year 2025/26, and planning is being done accordingly.

According to Anju Pariyar, information officer at the Department of Roads, the Suryabinayak–Sanga section of the project was originally contracted on 8 March 2023, with a deadline of 7 March 2026, which was later extended to 13 March 2027 to accommodate delays. Similarly, the Sanga–Dhulikhel section, initially scheduled to be completed by 12 Dec 2025, was extended to Dec 2026 to allow for ongoing construction challenges.

Tamang said the team is prioritizing measures to reduce dust and mud, especially during the monsoon. Roads are being blacktopped as quickly as possible, and in sections where black topping cannot be completed on time, gravel will be laid to minimize dust and mud without damaging the existing pavement.

Pariyar said that bridges along the route will also be upgraded. “Three existing bridges within the 8-kilometer stretch—at Jagati, Mahadev Khola and Punya Mata Khola—will be redeveloped as part of the expansion,” she said. The work has been awarded under a separate contract to the Hindu Focus–Ramjanaki JV, following a design-and-build modality. Surveying and preparatory work are currently underway.

The 15.8-kilometer road expansion is being carried out under two separate contracts. Of the total stretch, the Suryabinayak–Sanga section has recorded partial progress, while the Sanga–Dhulikhel segment has achieved relatively higher physical progress. Lama Construction Company has been awarded the contract for the Sanga–Dhulikhel section of the road expansion project. Meanwhile, the Suryabinayak–Sanga section has been contracted to the Ashish–Kumar Shrestha–Bandan Bhagawati JV.

The project involves widening the 16-kilometer Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel section of the Araniko Highway into a six-lane road. The 7.5 kilometer Suryabinayak–Sanga stretch was awarded at a contract cost of Rs 3.8bn, while the 8.5 kilometre Sanga–Dhulikhel section was contracted for Rs 4.5bn. Despite financial constraints that caused delays, key infrastructure works such as retaining walls, drainage systems and culverts have already been completed.

Once the highway expansion is completed, the travel time from Kathmandu to Dhulikhel is expected to be reduced to approximately 30 minutes in total, significantly improving connectivity and easing traffic flow. Construction activities are currently ongoing in both sections. Meanwhile, 95 percent of retaining wall and drain construction has been completed. About two kilometres of the Sanga–Dhulikhel section has already been paved.

Overall, the Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel road expansion project has achieved around 45 percent physical development, with the Sanga–Dhulikhel section progressing faster than the Suryabinayak–Sanga stretch. Authorities say that, if work continues at the current pace and resources are mobilized effectively, the project can meet its target completion by deadline. If completed on time, the six-lane highway is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion, reduce travel time and improve safety for thousands of daily commuters.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 500 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 328, 500 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 326, 100 per tola on Monday. 

The price of silver, however, has dropped by Rs 205 and is being traded at Rs 5, 815 per tola today.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a series of measures aimed at reviving sluggish credit growth and easing pressure on businesses amid excess liquidity in the banking system in the mid-term review of the Monetary Policy for fiscal year 2025/26.

The central bank has relaxed provisions related to working capital loans and expanded the scope of priority sector lending. However, it has kept key monetary instruments unchanged, including the interest rate corridor, the bank rate, the cash reserve ratio (CRR), and the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).

Banks and financial institutions (BFIs) will now be allowed to determine the tenure and limit of permanent working capital loans based on their own analysis of a borrower’s cash flow and financial statements. Currently, banks can extend permanent working capital loans for 3-10 years. Once the change comes into effect, banks will have greater flexibility to assess borrowers and fix appropriate limits accordingly.

The central bank has also eased a controversial provision requiring borrowers to reduce their working capital loan outstanding by at least 10 percent for at least seven consecutive days each year. This threshold will now be revised to 30 percent.

The private sector had long complained that the 10 percent rule was creating operational difficulties, particularly for businesses with continuous working capital needs. NRB said the provision will be amended to provide relief while maintaining financial discipline.

NRB has also broadened the definition of priority sectors. In addition to agriculture, energy, and micro, cottage, and small enterprises, the revised framework will now include tourism, IT, and export-oriented industries based on domestic raw materials. The central bank said the existing requirement for BFIs to maintain minimum lending ratios in each specified sector will also be revised.

At present, commercial banks must allocate 15 percent each of their total loans to agriculture and micro, cottage, and small enterprises, and 10 percent to energy. Development banks are required to extend at least 20 percent of their loans to agriculture, small enterprises, energy, and tourism, while finance companies must maintain a minimum of 15 percent in these sectors.

To help manage excess liquidity, NRB has increased the limit on non-deliverable forward (NDF) investments in foreign currency. Banks may now invest up to 30 percent of their core capital in NDF instruments, up from the existing 25 percent. The ceiling had previously been lowered to as little as 15 percent during periods of liquidity stress.

The decision to raise the NDF limit would allow banks to deploy surplus funds abroad amid a liquidity surplus situation. Additionally, loans extended to businesses displaced by the expansion of the East-West Highway and the Mid-Hill Highway can be restructured or rescheduled at a minimum interest rate of 10 percent until mid-July 2026.

The central bank has also pledged to facilitate foreign investment in physical infrastructure, such as data centers, cloud computing, robotic labs, and artificial intelligence (AI) facilities. It said banks and financial institutions will be encouraged to participate in co-financing such projects.

NRB has also said it will adopt a strategy of promoting electronic payments by gradually reducing check-based transactions. The review also calls for the effective implementation of provisions that prevent borrowers facing genuine situational difficulties from being blacklisted immediately. Borrowers already on the blacklist may be removed for up to six months if they present valid reasons and begin repaying their dues.