Kathmandu – The Center for Cyber Security Research and Innovation Nepal (CSRI Nepal) has announced its Global AI Research Grant 2026, an initiative aimed at addressing cybersecurity threats, financial fraud and data privacy challenges in Nepal’s banking, financial services and insurance sectors.
The research programme seeks to develop advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to improve financial security, strengthen regulatory compliance and protect sensitive customer information as the use of AI continues to expand across financial institutions.
CSRI Nepal recently introduced the grant’s objectives and research priorities at an event in Kathmandu. The organization aims to encourage collaboration among researchers, financial institutions and regulatory authorities while supporting Nepal’s development as a regional centre for secure and responsible AI innovation.
According to CSRI Nepal President Dr. Shaligram Parajuli, the initiative will focus on four major research areas: AI threat intelligence, data governance, financial fraud prevention and ethical AI.
Under AI threat intelligence, researchers will work on developing automated systems capable of detecting and monitoring cyber threats in real time. The goal is to help banks identify potential attacks and respond more effectively to emerging security risks.
The data governance component will explore secure and privacy-focused approaches to managing financial information. It will also encourage the use of technologies such as federated learning, which can support AI research without requiring sensitive customer data to be collected in one central location.
Financial fraud prevention research will focus on developing predictive AI models to identify suspicious transactions, prevent digital fraud and reduce potential financial losses.
The ethical AI component will examine ways to make AI-based banking services and credit assessments more transparent, fair and accountable.
Dr. Parajuli said the programme would also create practical research opportunities for Nepali data scientists, cybersecurity professionals and students. Research findings are expected to support evidence-based recommendations for regulatory institutions, including Nepal Rastra Bank.
The grant’s conceptual framework was jointly developed by CSRI Nepal founder-president Chiranjeevi Adhikari, Professor Dr. Gajendra Sharma, secretaries Sarala Karki and Bandana Sharma, executive committee member Shantika Subedi, and member Sangam Neupane.
CSRI Nepal believes the initiative could help financial institutions move from conventional security practices towards predictive and automated risk management systems, potentially improving operational efficiency and customer confidence.
The programme also aims to strengthen Nepal’s domestic research and development ecosystem by connecting universities, researchers and financial institutions to address practical industry challenges.
CSRI Nepal’s immediate past president, Professor Dr. Subarna Shakya, highlighted the importance of AI research in tackling financial and digital fraud and finding solutions to complex industry problems.
Interested researchers, experts and students can apply for the grant through CSRI Nepal’s official website. The announcement did not specify the grant amount, application deadline or number of recipients.
