The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has contracted a Chinese company to produce new 100-rupee notes featuring an updated political map of Nepal. This marks the first time the currency will reflect the revised map following recent constitutional amendments.
The Council of Ministers approved the design change, which includes the newly recognized borders of Limpiyadhura, Lipulek, and Kalapani, as part of a constitutional amendment enacted on May 20, 2020.
While the NRB is responsible for note design under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, any changes require government approval, which has already been granted by the Cabinet.
The China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation has been selected through a competitive global tender process. The NRB has requested the company to design, print, supply, and deliver 300 million 100-rupee notes, with an estimated printing cost of approximately $8.99 million (over Rs 1.2 billion), making the cost per note around Rs 4.04.