Foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments to Nepal fell sharply by 53.8 per cent in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2026/27, according to Department of Industry data reported on Thursday, October 29.

Source: Khabar Bajar

The department approved investment worth Rs 16.23 billion between mid-July and mid-October, down from Rs 35.13 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year — a decline of Rs 18.90 billion year on year.

A total of 422 industries had been registered by the end of Ashoj, the third month of the Nepali calendar. Of these, 410 were registered through the automatic route and 12 through the approval process. By size, 417 were small industries, two were medium and three were large.

In Ashoj alone, 94 small industries were registered, with investment worth Rs 5.10 billion approved, the department's figures show.

Information technology led the registrations by number, with 252 industries, but tourism attracted the largest share of approved investment at Rs 6.08 billion. Energy drew commitments of Rs 4 billion, followed by infrastructure at Rs 3.57 billion, manufacturing at Rs 1.60 billion and information technology at Rs 928.3 million.

The figures cover approved commitments — pledges cleared by the Department of Industry — rather than foreign capital that has actually entered Nepal, which is recorded separately.