KATHMANDU, April 2: The gross foreign exchange reserves in the country stood at Rs 3413.77 billion in mid-March, which is sufficient to cover the prospective merchandise and services imports of 18.5 months, according to the central bank.
Issuing the Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal based on eight months' data (ending mid-March) on Thursday, the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) stated that gross foreign exchange reserves increased 27.5 percent to Rs 3413.77 billion in mid-March 2026 from Rs 2677.68 billion in mid-July 2025.
"Of the total foreign exchange reserves, the reserves held by NRB increased 25.7 percent to Rs 3035.11 billion in mid-March 2026 from Rs 2414.64 billion in mid-July 2025. Reserves held by banks and financial institutions increased 44 percent to Rs 378.66 billion in mid-March 2026 from Rs 263.04 billion in mid-July 2025," according to the NRB report.
Foreign exchange reserves reach Rs 2.255 trillion
The share of Indian currency in total reserves stood at 21 percent in mid-March 2026.
Likewise, the central bank stated that the year-on-year consumer price inflation stood at 3.62 percent in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, compared to 3.75 percent a year ago, and the average inflation stood at 2.13 percent in the eighth month of the current fiscal year, compared to 4.72 percent a year ago.
During the eight months of 2025/26, merchandise exports increased 20.8 percent to Rs 191.11 billion compared to a growth of 57.2 percent in the same period of the previous year, while imports increased 12.5 percent to Rs 1289.25 billion compared to a growth of 11.2 percent a year ago, the central bank stated.
According to the NRB, the total trade deficit increased 11.2 percent to Rs 1098.14 billion during the review period, as such a deficit had increased 6.2 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year. The export-import ratio increased to 14.8 percent in the review period from 13.8 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The central bank mentioned that the remittance inflows increased 37.7 percent to Rs 1449.65 billion compared to an increase of 9.5 percent in the same period of the previous year. During mid-February to mid-March (Falgun), remittance inflows stood at Rs 188.64 billion, while such inflows were Rs 151.19 billion in the same period of the previous year.
Likewise, the current account remained at a surplus of Rs 552.85 billion in the review period against a surplus of Rs 197.03 billion in the same period of the previous year.
