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The price of gold has dropped by Rs 2, 000 per tola in the domestic market on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 184, 800 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 186, 800 per tola on Monday.

The price of silver, however, has increased by Rs 10 is being traded at Rs 1, 970 per tola today.

Payment for 10 suspension bridges completed across various districts of Karnali Province remains pending, despite completion of construction within 10 months of the contract, a representative of Himshikhar Hira Construction, Kumar KC, has said.

The bridges were contracted in July 2024 with a completion deadline of 18 months. However, eight of them—built in Jumla (2), Dailekh-Achham (1), Dailekh (1), Mugu (1), Humla (2), and Kalikot (1)—were completed early, yet the government has not released the payment amounting to Rs 110m (including VAT), according to KC.

Six of the bridges were reportedly completed as early as Dec 2024, but a dispute over the Dojam bridge in Humla slightly delayed overall formalities. KC said the non-payment has forced about 30 workers to file a complaint with the district police.

Humla’s Chief District Officer Narayan Pandey confirmed the issue, stating, “The contractor completed work eight months ago. Payments should have been made by now. Contractors who finish work on time deserve recognition, not delay.”

Engineer Nirajan Adhikari from the Local Infrastructure Development Office, Surkhet, said the payment delay was due to pending fund transfers from the Ministry of Finance. “As soon as the funds are transferred, the contractors will be paid within this month,” he assured.

The banking sector is witnessing a steady rebound in credit growth, buoyed by rising foreign trade and increased loan demand across key sectors. According to a recent report from the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), private sector credit from banks and financial institutions grew by seven percent, reaching Rs 5,534.77bn, during the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2024-25. This reflects a credit disbursement of Rs 361.3bn between mid-July 2024 and mid-April 2025.

Credit growth had stood at 5.1 percent in the same period of the previous fiscal year, pushing the total credit portfolio to Rs 5,167.17bn in mid-April last year. On a year-on-year basis, credit disbursement grew by 8.3 percent in mid-April.

This uptick marks a turnaround from the sluggish loan expansion seen in recent years, which had eroded bank profitability. Amid a deposit surge and subdued credit growth, the banking system was left with excess liquidity, pushing interest rates to historic lows. In mid-April, the average interest rate on loans from commercial banks fell to 8.22 percent, down from 10.55 percent a year earlier. Development banks and finance companies saw similar declines, with average lending rates dropping to 9.59 percent and 10.40 percent, respectively.

Slow credit expansion in previous fiscal years was largely attributed to the phased rollback of covid-era relief measures, including loan moratoriums and subsidized interest rates, by the central bank. As the economy stabilized, these supports were withdrawn, leading to cautious lending practices and tepid credit demand from businesses.

However, the latest data signals renewed momentum in credit expansion. Foreign trade has surged, with merchandise exports rising by 65.5 percent to Rs 188.2bn, and imports increasing by 12.2 percent to Rs 1.309trn in the nine-month period. This has triggered a spike in demand for import loans, which grew by a robust 60.6 percent by mid-April. Working capital loans and margin-based loans also recorded strong growth of 17 percent and 37.8 percent, respectively. In addition, credit expansion was driven by increased borrowing in real estate, stock market investments, and vehicle purchases.

Credit flow to the production sector rose by 9.6 percent, construction by 11.4 percent, transportation, communication and public services by 10.2 percent, and service industries by 8.6 percent. During the review period, term loans increased by 4.9 percent, margin nature loans by 37.8 percent, trust receipt (import) loans by 60.6 percent, hire purchase loans by 4.1 percent, cash credit loans by 5.2 percent and real estate loans (including residential personal home loans) by 4.9 percent.

Despite the rebound in credit activity, banks continue to grapple with excess liquidity. The banking system recorded a 5.7 percent increase in deposits, totaling Rs 368.47bn, while remittance inflows rose by 10 percent to Rs 1,191bn during the same period. This has left banks and financial institutions with a stockpile of loanable funds.

The NRB absorbed a total of Rs 17,186.15bn from the market, comprising Rs 2,212.05bn through deposit collection auctions, Rs 14,974.1bn via the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) and Rs 2.7bn utilized under the Overnight Liquidity Facility, over the first nine months of the current fiscal year. In contrast, the central bank had absorbed Rs 766.19bn in net liquidity through various monetary operations in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

The new leadership at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched a renewed effort to collect long standing disputed dues related to dedicated and trunk power lines. On Friday, the Authority issued a public notice calling on customers with outstanding dues to file appeals by June.

The NEA stated it aims to resolve the disputes—which have remained unresolved for nearly a decade—by addressing misunderstandings from a new perspective. The decision to move forward was made at a Board of Directors meeting on May 4. According to the NEA, total disputed dues now amount to Rs 23.44bn.

To facilitate dispute resolution, the NEA has amended Sub-regulation 2 of Regulation 55 under its 2021 Electricity Distribution Regulations. Under the revised provision, five percent of the billed amount can be submitted either in cash or via a Class A bank guarantee valid for one year.

The dispute began in 2016 after NEA introduced new tariffs for dedicated and trunk lines. In 2018, approximately nine months after load-shedding ended, NEA sent backdated bills covering two years and seven months. Industrialists contested the charges, arguing they had received trunk line facilities without formal notice and were billed as though load-shedding continued. Most only paid regular bills, rejecting the additional charges.

NEA regulations stipulate that customers seeking 20 hours of uninterrupted electricity via trunk lines during extended load-shedding must apply in advance, with service granted only after NEA Board approval. Customers are also required to provide Time-of-Day (TOD) meter data, which the NEA must verify.

To address the dispute, NEA formed a task force which submitted its findings. In 2019, the parliamentary Accounts Committee also intervened. A subcommittee recommended that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) probe NEA officials for failing to enforce tariff regulations, leading to revenue losses. The subcommittee also urged NEA to implement provisions requiring payment within 35 days of billing or disconnection after 60 days of non-payment.

Multiple committees have since examined the issue. In 2024, a commission led by former Justice Girish Chandra Lal submitted a report directing the government to recover Rs 6.11bn in dues from Feb 2016 to May 2018. NEA’s notice mentions plans to collect this amount as well.

Former NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising had also attempted to collect these arrears per the commission’s recommendations, but government intervention stalled the effort.