Nepal received foreign investment commitments worth Rs 24.10bn the first month of the current fiscal year. According to the Department of Industry, foreign investment commitments were received for 127 projects in August. The commitments received during the month are 163 percent higher than in the same period of the previous fiscal year when foreign investors had committed to invest Rs 9.15bn in 90 projects.
Monthly foreign direct investment approval data released by the department shows the total commitments have been made for 125 small-scale industries and two large-scale projects. Sectorwise, the agriculture sector received the highest investment in terms of value. The sector attracted investment of Rs 20.04bn, or 83 percent of the total investment commitments for the month, for just three projects.
The tourism sector came next, with 41 projects drawing Rs 3.02bn, or 13 percent of total commitments. In terms of project numbers, the ICT sector saw the highest interest, attracting 71 projects with total commitments of Rs 365.2m. The manufacturing sector received investment commitments of Rs 155m across three projects. One energy project secured Rs 184.2m in commitments. Similarly, eight projects in the service sector attracted Rs 335m in investment pledges.
These ventures have pledged to create 8,268 new jobs. Additionally, eight projects involving share purchases and subscriptions attracted Rs 1.99bn in commitments. The department also recorded five technology transfer agreements during the month. Meanwhile, foreign investors repatriated Rs 2.90bn as dividends in the first month of 2025/26, up from Rs 64m in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
In 2024/25, Nepal received a total foreign investment commitment of Rs 64.96bn for 840 projects. These projects pledged to create 19,536 new jobs. However, only about a third of the total commitments are actually realized. According to Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), only 37.89 percent of the total FDI pledged over the past decade was realized. Nepal received total FDI commitments worth Rs 395.92bn between 2014/15 and 2023/24. Of this, only Rs 126.29bn translated into actual investment.
