Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA), in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Financial Literacy Nepal (FLN), successfully organized an Interaction Program on Current Issues & Financial Literacy in Bharatpur (Bagmati Province) and Birgunj (Madesh Province). The program was designed to enhance the capacity of banking professionals by fostering a deeper understanding of the evolving digital financial services ecosystem, addressing key challenges within the banking and capital market.
Delivering the welcome remarks, Mr. Anil Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of NBA, warmly welcomed the participants and outlined the objectives of the program. He shared that as part of growing engagement in the Provinces and conducting regional activities, NBA is organizing programs like this across all the Provinces to deliberate on the rapidly evolving financial landscape.
Special Geust of the program, Ms. Rathnija Arandara, newly appointed Resident Representative for Nepal at IFC, highlighted the crucial role of digitalization in advancing financial inclusion, particularly in countries like Nepal, where financial literacy remains relatively low. She also reaffirmed IFC’s strong commitment to supporting digital financial inclusion efforts in Nepal.
The Chief Guest of the program Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal, Former Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank delivered the keynote speech. Drawing from his vast experience in policy and financial sector governance, Dr. Nepal shared thoughtful reflections on the evolving landscape of Nepal’s banking and financial system. He provided a critical analysis of the challenges that continue to hinder the sector’s progress, including policy gaps, coordination issues among stakeholders, the need for adaptive policymaking in the face of rapid technological change, among others. Furthermore, Dr. Nepal emphasized that the success of any policy is not solely determined by its formulation but by its effective implementation. He stressed the importance of building robust institutions that are capable of enforcing policy measures with integrity and consistency.
During the presentation session, Mr. Bhuvan Dahal, Former NBA President, delivered an insightful presentation on current issues and challenges facing Nepal’s banking sector. He addressed common public misconceptions about the industry, emphasizing how such misunderstandings could undermine trust and confidence of public in the financial system, and the ways to address them. He further underscored that Nepal’s banking sector remains stable, resilient and well-regulated under the central bank’s policies and highlighted financial literacy as a powerful and strategic tool not only to bridge existing knowledge gaps, but also to foster greater confidence in the banking system.
Mr. Niraj Giri, Former Executive Director, SEBON delivered a presentation on the current state, challenges and future prospects of Nepal’s capital markets. He discussed on regulatory framework, highlighting key reforms and regulatory advancements undertaken in recent years. Additionally, he also emphasized the structural challenges such as limited financial literacy among retail investors, market volatility and the need for greater product diversification.
Mr. Ashim Nepal, Operations Officer at IFC, shared key findings from IFC’s recently published report on Digital Financial Services in Nepal. In his presentation, he highlighted the progress made by the Nepalese banking and financial sector in digitalization, opportunities and potential risks shaping the digital finance landscape in Nepal and beyond.
Mr. Kapil Gautam, Senior Officer at NBA, delivered a presentation focusing on key aspects of digital finance services, including digital payment systems, digital lending, cross-border transactions, financial inclusion and consumer protection. He also emphasized the rising threat of cyber fraud and encouraged employee to pass the learning to customers to ensure safe and confident use of digital financial services.
Concluding the program, NBA’s Province Coordinators – Ms. Shangrila Shrestha, Coordinator of NBA Bagmati Province Committee (in Bharatpur) and Mr. Sulabh Shrestha, Coordinator of NBA Madesh Province Committee (in Birgunj), expressed heartfelt appreciation to the distinguished speakers, experts, and participants for their active engagement and valuable contributions.
The program was participated by officials representing various Commercial and Development Banks of Nepal.
