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Biratnagar is preparing to organize its international ‘Birat Trade Expo-2025’ at Shanti Chowk, Biratnagar Metropolitan City-2. The Morang Industry and Trade Association has intensified preparations for the trade fair.

Preparations are underway to hold the trade fair from Dec 24-Jan 3. The association has given detailed information about the preparations, objectives and potential impact of the expo through a press conference held in Biratnagar on Monday. Association President Anupam Rathi informed that the expo is being organized grandly with the aim of energizing economic activities, promoting domestic products and connecting them with the international market. The expo will have 230 stalls including hangar structures prepared using German technology. Rathi said that more than 80 percent of the stalls have been booked.

Rathi informed that products of Nepal’s domestic, small, medium and large industries, agricultural products, industrial materials, education, health, information technology, tourism and service sector related materials will be exhibited. In addition, products from neighboring countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan will also be exhibited. Rathi says that it is expected to expand direct cooperation between producers and consumers.

According to him, the association, which is also a founding member of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, has a history of continuously contributing to the protection of the rights and interests of industrialists and entrepreneurs, diversification of economic activities and building a self-respecting economy.

Earlier, the association has successfully completed the Koshi Festival-1996, the Eastern Industrial Trade Fair-2000, the Birat Festival-2005 and 2013 the Birat Trade Expo-2018 and 2022 and the Morang Trade Association Expo-2023. The organizers claim that this year’s expo is being organized with the aim of breaking the economic stagnation seen after the GenZ movement and infusing new energy into the market.

Seminars and discussion programs on startups, small and medium enterprises, tourism, information technology, cyber security, tax and accounting systems, and women’s entrepreneurship will be organized throughout the expo.

The organizers believe that this will provide new entrepreneurs with opportunities to start businesses and existing entrepreneurs with new opportunities for expansion. There will be performances by famous national artists to entertain the audience. The fair will have a kids zone, selfie zone, fish and mermaid tunnels, recreational play equipment, and an attractive entrance based on Nepali artwork. The organizers estimate that more than 200,000 visitors will visit the fair directly. The organizers expect a turnover of Rs 250m to 300m from the expo, which is estimated to cost Rs 25m.

After 12 years of the arrival of health equipment, the NICU service has finally come into operation at the Provincial Hospital Bhadrapur. With the start of the NICU service, the poor and needy families who came to the hospital to deliver their babies have also been forced to go to private hospitals.

Before the operation of the four-bed NICU service, the acting medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Sanjay Kumar Gupta, performed a special prayer on Monday morning. After that, the chairman of the Hospital Operation and Management Committee, Bishwanath Baral, and the mayor of Bhadrapur Municipality, Ganesh Pokharel, jointly inaugurated the NICU service room.

The Ministry of Health and Population had provided health equipment to the hospital in two phases in 2013 with the aim of facilitating the treatment of newborns. However, the NICU service could not be put into operation due to lack of manpower. Acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sanjay Kumar Gupta said that the NICU service was brought into operation after the Ministry of Health of the Koshi Province Government provided manpower.

The NICU requires four pediatricians, nine nursing staff, four office assistants and four security guards. Stating that the NICU room has now been brought into operation near the children’s ward of the old building with the addition of that manpower, Dr Gupta said, “Now complex maternity services are possible and when there was no NICU, such patients had to be referred elsewhere.”

“My first goal after taking charge of the hospital was to resume services from the new building and to the NICU equipment stored in the hospital's warehouse into use and resuming services which has been achieved”, he said.

He added that other services are being gradually added to the hospital in recent times so that they are not deprived of services and do not have to go elsewhere. The monthly cost of operating this service is Rs 9-100,000. Since they are kept on trial for three weeks, the service for patients with social security is free. He said that the service fee will be fixed as per the decision of the management committee.

The Gen Z Joint Group on Monday sent a demand letter to Prime Minister Sushila Karki through the post office in Dilli Bazaar being unable to enter Singha Durbar to submit their list of demands.

Experts have urged Nepal to urgently shift toward equity-based investment and implement regulatory reforms, warning that ‘free capital’ inflows will begin to disappear after 2026, when the country graduates from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) category.

“The era of free money ends,” said Calvin St. Juste, Special Envoy for Investment of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, during a high-level roundtable meeting in Kathmandu on Sunday, reads a statement issued by Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA).

The event, organized by the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA), brought together senior banking leaders, media representatives, and economic analysts to assess Nepal’s investment landscape, its credit rating trajectory, and opportunities arising from shifting global financial currents.

 “Grants fade, and loans cannot sustainably replace them. Equity can,” he added.

The Envoy encouraged Nepal not to fear its forthcoming graduation from LDC status, but instead view it as an inflection point.

He argued that Nepal should shift from loans to equity-based financing, particularly in sectors like hydropower where domestic capacity is strong but international capital remains essential.

“Political uncertainty is temporary,” he said, adding that challenging or not, this is the moment to bring investors in.

St. Kitts and Nevis ranked among Nepal’s top five foreign direct investment (FDI) sources in 2020-21 in the Nepal Rastra Bank’s report.

Addressing widespread misconceptions around ‘tax haven’ jurisdictions, speakers emphasized the importance of distinguishing competitive tax policy from illicit financial practices, according to the statement.

Addressing the persistent label of ‘tax haven,’ he urged Nepal to reframe the global narrative. “Tax competitiveness is not illegal,” Calvin said, adding that tax avoidance is legal; tax evasion is not. “Don’t be fearful of designing a system that allows your economy to survive.”

Calvin shared the experience of St. Kitts and Nevis, which endured bankruptcy in 2005 after decades of dependence on the sugar industry. The turning point, he explained, came when the country shifted from reliance on commodities and concessional aid toward attracting FDI and building investment-driven resilience.

Calvin, on the occasion, also highlighted the structural similarities between the two nations. “Nepal is landlocked, whereas St. Kitts is sea-locked,” he said, adding “In different ways, we are both small states whose destinies can be profoundly shaped by external forces.”

Referencing a recent Fitch report, that Nepal got BB- ratings, pointed to growing investor hesitation due to political unpredictability, he said Nepal should take the ratings advantage. “As investors, you cannot control politics, but you can control risk.”

He also urged Nepal to proactively address systemic vulnerabilities.

On the occasion, Ram Kumar Tiwari, CEO of Nepal SBI Bank informed that investors have begun pulling back due to current political uncertainty, the statement further reads.

Likewise, Ananda Jha, CEO of CARE Ratings Nepal Ltd highlighted Nepal’s own structural challenges, including conflicts across multiple regulators – Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) and Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) – which often lead to fragmented or convenience-driven policy outcomes.

Despite a growing capital market and rising entrepreneurial activity, the country lacks meaningful international access, he said.

Apart from concerns around liquidity scarcity and investor skepticism, participants also pointed to rigid labor policies and a prevailing working culture misaligned with global productivity expectations.

While acknowledging the value of an eight-hour workday, they stressed that technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) now enable output many times greater without extending hours.

High tax rates – corporate taxes of 20% to 25% and personal taxes up to 39% – are also flagged as deterrents to large-scale investment in Nepal. Participants also questioned the justification for high taxes without visible improvements in public services, underscoring the importance of customer-centric governance.

Sudyumna Prasad Upadhyaya, Sanima GIC CEO, during the discussion highlighted the insurance and reinsurance companies’ performance and profitability in the Caribbean including St Kitts and Nevis.