KATHMANDU, Nov 19: Nepal received pledges for foreign direct investment (FDI) worth Rs 36.68 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year (FY), which was almost double of the amount recorded in the same period of last FY.
The records with the Department of Industry (DoI) show that the country recorded the FDI commitment of Rs 18.66 billion during mid-July and mid-November of FY 2024/25. The pledged amount was Rs 18.02 billion more in the review period compared to corresponding period of last FY.
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This year, foreign investors registered 382 firms for operation inside Nepal. Of these, investments for 251 firms were proposed through an automated system of the DoI, while the remaining 131 firms were recorded via regular process. In terms of the investment volume, Rs 2.36 billion was pledged through the automated system.
As per the DoI, foreign investors were attracted mainly to invest in small industries, with the segment witnessing registration of 369 FDI-based firms. Likewise, investments were pledged for six medium and seven large firms.
Sectorwise, information technology drew the attention of the foreign investors, with registration of 205 firms in the review period. It makes up 54 percent of the total number of registrations. Tourism businesses, which received permission for 118 industries (31 percent), stood in the second position.
Apart from these, 21 firms in manufacturing, one in energy, and 13 in agriculture received permission for operation in Nepal. In terms of investment, the highest amount of Rs 21.88 billion was pledged in agriculture.
Meanwhile, a total of 7,621 new firms have received approval for operation in the first four months. These firms are poised to provide employment to 33,814 people. The registration surged mainly during two months of mid-July and mid-September, while there was a continuous decline in the latter two months of the review period.
