Submit your Article

The price of gold has increased by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 258, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 258, 000 per tola on Friday.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 3, 390 per tola today.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 2, 200 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 250, 600 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 248, 400 per tola on Thursday.

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 65 and is being traded at Rs 3, 345 per tola today.

Insurance claim payouts by non-life insurance companies increased by 34.19 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year. 

According to Nepal Insurance Authority (NIA), 14 non-life insurance companies paid out Rs 5.69bn in claims in the review period. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, payouts by non-life insurances totaled Rs 4.24bn.

The surge in claim payouts is largely attributed to the extensive damage to hotels, department stores and motor vehicles due to arson and vandalism across the country during the GenZ protests on Sept 8 and 9. Government and private offices, homes of political leaders, hotels and businesses allegedly linked to political figures, and numerous vehicles were damaged or set on fire across the country. Although government buildings and motor vehicles were not insured, most of the private properties were insured. This resulted in significant claim payouts by the companies.

Claims worth nearly Rs 24bn were filed with non-life insurance companies for damages during the GenZ protests, according to NIA - the insurance sector regulator. 

 Similarly, the floods and landslides triggered by continuous heavy rainfall in September and October also caused severe destruction which also resulted in higher claim payouts in the review period.

Data provided by the NIA shows Sagarmatha Lumbini Insurance (SALICO) recorded the highest payout of Rs 1.08bn in the four-month period, followed by Shikhar Insurance and NLG Insurance with total payouts of Rs 680.2m and Rs 642.3m, respectively.

Two other insurers, Siddhartha Premier Insurance and Neco Insurance, made claim payouts in excess of Rs 500m. Data shows Siddhartha Premier and Neco made payouts of Rs 546m and Rs 529.9m, respectively, in the review period. 

Ten insurers saw their claim payouts jump in the first four months of 2025/26, compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. SALICO saw its payouts jump by a whopping 140.79 percent, followed by Sanima GIC which saw its payouts go up by 124.66 percent. Other life-insurers, which made higher payouts in the review period compared to last year include, NLG (81.07 percent), 

Neco (65.10 percent), Nepal Insurance (36.59 percent), Himalayan Everest (35.06 percent), Siddhartha Premier (29.69 percent), Oriental (23.83 percent), Prabhu (13.58 percent) and Shikhar (5.56 percent).

Four companies saw their payouts decline in the first four months of 2025/26. They include United Ajod (-3.61 percent), Rastriya Beema Company (-5.81 percent), National Insurance (-8.45 percent) and IGI Prudential (-28.20 percent).

Tea worth Rs 1.373 has been exported via the eastern checkpoint, Kakadbhitta, in the first four months of the current fiscal year. 

According to Public Information Officer at the Mechi Customs Office, Ishwor Kumar Humagain, a total of 4,688,932 kilograms of tea was outbound to India during the reporting period. 

In comparison to the same period last year, the export this year has slumped by 37 percent. 

In the same period last year, total tea worth amounting to Rs 2.205 billion was exported. 

This year tea export has declined by Rs 831.7 million.