Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) – Monetary Policy 2081/83: 30 Key Highlights

 

30 key points from Nepal Rastra Bank’s Monetary Policy for Fiscal Year 2081/82 (2024/25):


Macroeconomic & Monetary Targets 📊

1. Inflation Target: Aims to maintain inflation around **5.0%** .


2. Foreign Exchange Reserves: Maintain reserves to cover at least 7 months of import needs .


3. Economic Growth Support: Target approximately 6% growth, focusing on productive sector lending .


Credit & Liquidity Management

4. Credit Expansion Target: Increase private sector loans by 12.5%, up from 11.5% last year 


5. Broad Money Growth: Broad money supply projected at ~12% .


6. **Interest Rate Corridor:**

  • Bank rate (upper bound): Reduced from 7.0% to **6.5%** .
  • Policy rate (mid-rate): Reduced from 5.5% to **5.0%** .
  • Deposit collection rate (lower bound): Kept at **3.0%** .


7. Open Market & Liquidity Tools: Rule‑based OMO kept interbank rates near the policy corridor; standing liquidity facility maintained.


Reserve & Liquidity Ratios

8. CRR & SLR: Cash Reserve Ratio (~4%) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (~12%) remain unchanged .


9. Permanent Liquidity Facility: Continued access at bank rate under flexible conditions .


10. Liquidity Status (Mid‑Term): By Poush, reserve coverage was ~14.4 months with money supply up 10.2%, and credit up 7.0% .


Credit Quality & Provisioning

11. Loan Provisioning Reduction: Good-loan provisioning requirement lowered from 1.20% to 1.10%, later to **1.0%** .


12. Reclassification of NPLs: Loans that return to performing status after six months of monitoring may be reclassified earlier .


13. Tier-2 Capital Inclusion: Regulatory reserves now count as Tier-2 capital, within set limits .


Sectoral Lending & Limits

14. Regulatory Retail Portfolio Increase: Limit raised from NPR 20 M to 25 M .


15. Working Capital Guidance: Variance analysis guidelines extended until 1 Shrawan 2082 to support business liquidity .


16. MSME Loan Limit Review: Current NPR 10 M cap under review, potentially to be raised.


Capital Market & Investment

17. Margin Lending Cap Removed: Rs 20 crore cap on institutional share‑collateral loans abolished .


18. Individual Investor Cap: Remains unchanged.


19. PE/VC Fund Blacklisting Exemption: PE/VC-backed firms won’t be penalized due to one blacklisted company .


20. Asset Management Company Plan: Draft legislation for AMC to manage non-performing assets initiated .


Microfinance & Cooperative Sector

21. Microfinance Merger Incentives: Mergers & acquisitions encouraged via policy incentives .


22. Consumer Protection: Measures for blocked-depositor recovery up to NPR 500,000 from cooperatives .


23. Interest and Service Charge Review: On microfinance lending rates and fees .


24. Loan Restructuring for MFI Borrowers: Restructuring allowed during unforeseen financial stress .


Real Estate & Construction

25. Vehicle Loan LTV Cap: Capped at 60% for personal and electric vehicles (from mid-term review) .


26. JV Blacklisting Clarification: Blacklisted JV partner won’t affect other partners’ banking operations .


FX, Trade & Tech Sector

27. Forex Measures: Passport-based forex limits increased; TT/import forex raised from $35k→$50k and $60k→$100k .


28. NRB Swap & Derivatives: Framework approved for non‑deliverable forwards, swaps up to 20% of primary capital .


29. Forex Reserve Surplus: Mid-year reserves covered ~14.4 months imports (vs. 7-month target) .


30. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC): Feasibility study cited; groundwork reportedly ongoing .


These measures reflect a balance between stimulating growth and maintaining financial stability, with targeted support to capital markets, microfinance, cooperatives, and exchange rate tools.

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