Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal received foreign investment commitments of Rs 40.67 billion in the first eight months of the fiscal year 2025/26.
According to the Department of Industry (DoI), 554 foreign investment projects were approved between mid-July and mid-March of the fiscal year 2025/26. Of the total commitments, Rs 3.44 billion was approved through the automatic route for 377 projects, while Rs 37.23 billion commitments for 177 projects were approved through the traditional approval route.
These projects have pledged to create 21,495 jobs.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) approvals have fluctuated widely over the past eight months. In Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), the department approved 30 projects with a total pledged investment of Rs 386 million. Such commitments stood at Rs 1.04 billion for 49 projects in Magh (mid-January to mid-March).
Earlier, the DoI approved 36 projects worth Rs 599.5 million in Poush (mid-December to mid-January), while Mangsir (mid-November to mid-November) saw 46 projects receiving commitments of Rs 1.91 billion. In Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), 72 projects secured FDI pledges worth Rs 1.54 billion.
FDI commitments were slightly higher in the earlier months of the fiscal year. In Ashwin (mid-September to mid-October), the DoI approved 75 projects with total commitments of Rs 2.04 billion, while it okayed FDI of Rs 8.98 billion in 109 projects in Bhadra.
The largest commitments came in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), when the department approved 127 projects with total FDI commitments of Rs 24.10 billion. A bulk of the investment pledged during the month was for a Chinese-funded water buffalo processing plant.
These projects have pledged to create 21,495 new jobs.
The ICT sector led FDI commitments by number of projects, with 307 projects securing commitments worth Rs 1.3 billion. The Tourism sector followed, receiving Rs 11 billion in FDI commitments for 155 projects, while the Services sector attracted Rs 3.62 billion in pledged investment. The manufacturing sector received Rs 2.52 billion in FDI commitments for 37 projects.
In terms of investment value, however, the agro and forestry-based sector recorded the highest commitments, with Rs 21.90 billion pledged across 14 projects.
A bulk of the FDI has been pledged in the Small Industries sector. According to the DoI, of the total projects allowed to bring foreign investments, 537 are in the Small Industries sector, and eight each in the Medium and Large Industries sectors.
