Nepal secured foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments exceeding Rs 60.6 billion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year 2024/25. According to the Department of Industries (DoI), these commitments span 717 industries across various sectors, signaling continued interest from international investors despite global uncertainties.
Between mid-July 2024 and mid-June 2025, the DoI approved Rs 56.7 billion in investments for 347 industries through its certification (approval) system, while an additional Rs 3.86 billion was committed for 370 industries via the automatic route. Moreover, investment commitments worth Rs 1.96 billion were made for 32 industries through Share Purchase Agreements (SPA) and Share Subscription Agreements (SSA). The DoI also approved Technology Transfer Agreements (TTA) for 66 industries during the period.
Out of the 717 industries receiving FDI commitments, 702 were small-scale, 9 were medium, and 6 were large. If these committed investments are realized, they are expected to generate employment for approximately 17,255 people.
Since the establishment of the approval system, Nepal has received cumulative FDI commitments totaling Rs 590.35 billion across 7,116 industries. This includes Rs 11.98 billion through the automatic route (509 industries) and Rs 578.68 billion through the certification route (6,607 industries). These investments have the potential to create around 345,165 jobs.
The Information and Technology (IT) and Tourism sectors attracted the highest levels of commitment. According to the DoI, 313.44 percent of the total commitments were made in the IT sector, 266.37 percent in Tourism, 76.11 percent in the Service sector, 48.7 percent in Manufacturing, 11.11 percent in Agriculture, 2 percent in Infrastructure, and just 1 percent in Energy. (Note: Percentages exceed 100 due to cross-sector classification in some projects.)
Tourism attracted Rs 23.94 billion in commitments across 266 industries. The service sector saw Rs 30.45 billion in investments for 76 industries. The IT sector drew Rs 1.57 billion for 313 industries, manufacturing received Rs 3.12 billion for 48 industries, agriculture drew Rs 1.44 billion for 11 industries, and infrastructure received Rs 50 million for two projects.
In the same period, the DoI approved Rs 9.60 billion in dividend repatriation for foreign investors, slightly down from Rs 9.97 billion in the corresponding period last fiscal year. Additionally, royalty repatriation approvals totaled Rs 1.68 billion, including USD 9.92 million, INR 831.74 million, and EUR 61,431.
In the month of Jestha alone (mid-May to mid-June), dividend repatriation approvals amounted to Rs 87.8 million. Royalties worth Rs 161.5 million, USD 552,289, and INR 425.18 million were also approved during this month.
These figures indicate growing investor confidence in Nepal’s key sectors—especially tourism, services, and IT. However, ensuring timely project implementation and stable policies remains critical to turning these commitments into tangible economic growth and job creation.
