Most commercial banks in Nepal have kept their fixed deposit interest rates unchanged for Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April), maintaining the same rates as in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March).
A total of 18 banks have opted to keep their rates steady, while Himalayan Bank and Nepal Bank have lowered theirs. Himalayan Bank reduced its rate from 6.25 percent to 5.50 percent, while Nepal Bank lowered it from 5.60 percent to 5.55 percent.
Among all banks, NIC Asia Bank offers the highest interest rate at 6.6 percent, while Nepal Bank provides the lowest at 5.5 percent. Due to sluggish economic activity and weak loan demand, banks have been gradually reducing deposit interest rates since last Asadh (mid-June to mid-July).
Nabil Bank, Nepal Investment Mega Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank, Everest Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Kumari Bank, Siddhartha Bank, Sanima Bank, NMB Bank, Prabhu Bank, Citizens Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Rastriya Banijya Bank, and Agriculture Development Bank have all decided to keep their interest rates unchanged for Chaitra. Meanwhile, Global IME Bank has slightly increased its fixed deposit rate from 5.75 percent to 6 percent.
With economic uncertainty persisting, banks continue to adjust their interest rate strategies to balance liquidity and loan demand.
