Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has assigned engineer Sahdev Chand as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) effective from February 11.

Engineer Chand has been working at NRB for over 24 years. 

He has extensive experience in the areas spanning the economic research department, banking department, non-bank financial institution supervision department, and the information technology department. 

Engineer Chand is currently engaged in General Ledger operations and Disaster Recovery Management.

As a CISO, Chand will lead initiatives to strengthen NRB’s cybersecurity framework, enhance protection of digital infrastructures, and ensure compliance with national and international regulatory standards. His responsibilities include advancing Security Operations Center (SOC) capabilities and reinforcing information security governance so that it would contribute to cyber resilience, according to NRB.

NRB Spokesperson Guru Prasad Paudel said that Adhikari was assigned as CISO as per NRB's Cyber Security Policy, 2074.

The assignment comes amidst NRB's ongoing digital transformation. 

The new responsibility is expected to contribute to NRB’s strategic commitment to strengthening cybersecurity governance, enhancing institutional resilience and maintaining public trust in Nepal’s financial system in the wake of digital advancement at warp speed.

Chand, who holds BSc Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering from Khulna University, Bangladesh, also has the MA and MPhil Degrees in Economics from Tribhuvan University. He is currently pursuing PhD in Economics at Tribhuvan University. 

Chand has participated in numerous international training programs in cybersecurity, ICT policy, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), and distributed ledger technologies across Asia, Europe and the United States.