Kathmandu – Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) organized the Fintech Innovation Showcase Event 2026 at its Baluwatar premises on November 2, bringing together banks, financial institutions, fintech companies and government representatives to promote innovation in Nepal’s financial sector.
The event, organized by the central bank’s Payment Systems Department, featured 27 exhibition stalls highlighting developments in digital banking, digital payments, online lending, cybersecurity, cloud computing, financial fraud prevention, risk management and regulatory technology.
NRB Governor Dr. Biswo Nath Poudel inaugurated the event and emphasized the central bank’s commitment to encouraging technology-driven financial services while maintaining financial stability and customer protection.
Addressing the inaugural session, Poudel said financial innovation must be supported by appropriate regulatory and supervisory frameworks. He stressed that the expansion of fintech brings opportunities alongside emerging risks that require effective management.
The governor also called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, regulators, banks, financial institutions and technology companies to support responsible innovation.
Deputy Governor Kiran Pandit discussed the central bank’s policy and institutional initiatives to promote fintech development. Payment Systems Department Executive Director Nischal Adhikari outlined the event’s objectives and NRB’s regulatory approach to digital financial services.
According to NRB, more than 1,000 participants visited the exhibition, which showcased emerging financial technologies and services developed by participating institutions and companies.
The programme also featured a panel discussion titled Digital Lending and Credit for Underserved, focusing on opportunities to expand financial access through digital lending.
The discussion was moderated by Manoj Ghimire of Fintech Alliance Nepal. Panelists included Nischal Adhikari, Global IME Bank Deputy Chief Executive Officer Suman Pokharel and Fintech Alliance Nepal Chairman Amit Agrawal.
The event was organized under NRB’s Fintech Strategy for Digital Financial Services (2026/27–2030/31), which aims to strengthen collaboration among financial technology innovators and other stakeholders.
As part of the strategy, the central bank has developed the NRB Fintech Nexus framework to support its Digital Finance Innovation Hub (DiFi-Hub) and Regulatory Sandbox initiatives.
NRB also plans to organize fintech workshops, hackathons and innovation challenges to encourage further technological development in Nepal’s financial services industry.
