Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Remittance inflows jumped by 37.7% to Rs 1,449.65 billion over the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2025/26.
According to the Current Macroeconomic Situation Report of the first eight months of the current fiscal year released by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Friday, the country received Rs 188.64 billion in remittances in the eight months (mid-February to mid-March), up from Rs 151.19 billion a year earlier.
In US dollar terms, remittance inflows rose by 31% to $10.15 billion, compared to a 7.1% growth in the corresponding period last year.
Similarly, net secondary income (net transfers) climbed to Rs 1,591.66 billion in eight months, up from Rs 1,149.30 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Despite the surge in remittances, the number of Nepali workers going abroad for employment declined largely due to the crisis seen in West Asia in the last week of February. A total of 273,576 workers obtained first-time approvals for foreign employment during the review period, down from 317,068 a year ago. However, the number of workers seeking approval for renewed entry increased to 251,985 from 217,403.
According to the report, the current account remained in surplus at Rs 552.85 billion, a substantial rise from Rs 197.03 billion in the same period last year. In dollar terms, the surplus stood at $3.88 billion.
Similarly, the balance of payments (BoP) posted a robust surplus of Rs 658.35 billion, more than double the Rs 310.37 billion recorded in the previous year. In US dollar terms, the BoP surplus reached $4.61 billion.
Likewise, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows (equity only) increased to Rs 10.84 billion in the eight months, up from Rs 8.47 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year, while net capital transfers rose to Rs 12.59 billion from Rs 6.41 billion.
Foreign exchange reserves also strengthened significantly during the review period. According to the central bank, gross reserves increased by 27.5% to Rs 3,413.77 billion in mid-March 2026 from Rs 2,677.68 billion in mid-July 2025. In US dollar terms, reserves rose to $23.08 billion from $19.50 billion.
The reserve is sufficient to cover 21.4 months of merchandise imports and 18.5 months of goods and services imports, according to the central bank.
Travel income, however, declined by 2.5% to Rs 55.39 billion during the review period. Travel payments also fell by 1.7% to Rs 145.12 billion during the review period. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, travel payments stood at Rs 147.57 billion, including Rs 88.92 billion for abroad education.
