Finance Minister with bankers: NIMB CEO worried about merger, Sujit Shakya of ‘provision’, who said what?

Banking Sansar

Published: Tuesday August 4, 2026 10:57 pm

Kathmandu. In the meeting with the Finance Minister, the bankers openly put forth their views. Since there was no representative of the Rastra Bank and the media was also kept out, they had expressed their views without any hesitation. But even though the rest of the meeting was said to be an internal discussion behind closed doors, after the meeting was over, some bankers were busy briefing the media and NRB officials about who said what.

{{TAG_OPEN_div_41} Speaking to the media persons after the meeting, Manoj Gyawali had a strong statement with the Finance Minister even though he presented himself in a very formal manner. He suggested that there is a need to change the policy of provision on bad loans. Stating that the problem has arisen due to the regulatory system to provide for bad loans, he claimed that it is time to change the policy. He said that the government should think about the number of blacklisted people in the market.

The CEO of Citizens Bank was focused on hydro.TAG_OPEN_div_39 Pokharel was talking more about hydro than the problems of the banking sector and their solutions. In his speech, he claimed that the number of people who want to invest in hydro is very high and there is no problem in hydro as is being rumored outside.

Jyoti Prakash of Nepal Investment Mega Bank claimed that there is a problem in expanding investment due to the merger.TAG_OPEN_div_37 He even said that the merger was forced. He also stressed the need to take appropriate action against those who take loans but do not repay.

Global IME Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Surendra Regmi, who is also the vice-president of the Bankers’ Association, said that the government should play a role in boosting the confidence of entrepreneurs.TAG_OPEN_div_35 On the other hand, CEO of Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Ajay Shah, said that small entrepreneurs should invest in small businesses.

Sudesh Khaling, chief executive officer of Everest Bank, who is known as the CEO of Everest Bank, said that the government should support the government in extending loans to the villages.TAG_OPEN_div_33 He also said that the government should increase its expenditure.

Sujit Shakya, CEO of NIC Asia Bank, shared the pain of his own bank.TAG_OPEN_div_31 He drew the attention of the government to the problem in the loan provided to small entrepreneurs during the pandemic. At that time, NIC Asia had issued such loans indiscriminately during the Covid period. He claimed that it was not right to make 100 percent provision in a year. Rameshwor Basyal, CEO of Siddhartha Bank, also said that the provision of hundred percent provision should be changed.

Ram Kumar Tiwari, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nepal SBI Bank, who was not very fresh due to the employee dispute, started the conversation by giving the example of India.TAG_OPEN_div_29 Suggesting the government to invest in infrastructure, he said that the government should pay special attention in investment.

Ashok Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank, and Gorakh Shumsher Rana of Standard Chartered Bank made formal statements.TAG_OPEN_div_27 Sanjeev Manandhar, CEO of Prime Commercial Bank, said that they were facing problems in loan after the businessman was arrested.

Tilak Pandey, CEO of Nepal Bank, who has been moving the files of political personalities as soon as he became the CEO, expressed concern over the increase in non-banking assets in the banks.TAG_OPEN_div_25 The CEO of Kumari Bank, knowing that the matter of who said what would reach the Rastra Bank and the media, did not say much. Those close to him say that he will not worry too much about the bank as he will lose his post at any time due to the Supreme Court’s decision.

The CEOs of Rastriya Banijya Bank, Agriculture Development Bank and Prabhu Bank did not attend the meeting.TAG_OPEN_div_23 One of the CEOs did not go to the meeting by lying that he was out of Kathmandu.