The National Bank of Nepal has decided to exchange the taka as a convertible currency. If this decision is finalized, Bangladeshi tourists and Nepalese students will benefit.
Nepal’s Ambassador to Dhaka Ghanashyam Bhandari made these remarks during a roundtable discussion titled ‘Bangladesh-Nepal Relations: A Renewed Outlook’ jointly organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and the Nepal Economic Forum (NEF) on Sunday (August 3).

The ambassador said that the Nepalese state bank has decided to exchange the taka as a convertible currency. However, it is not yet finalised. If this decision is implemented, Bangladeshi tourists and Nepalese students will benefit.

Ghanshyam Bhandari said that 50,000 tourists from Bangladesh visited Nepal in 2024. And 3,000 Nepalese students are studying in Bangladesh, most of whom are medical students. There are medical graduates from Bangladesh in every hospital in Nepal, who are working as goodwill ambassadors of Bangladesh.

The ambassador said that Bangladesh and Nepal are working together in multilateral forums. In addition, there is scope for further cooperation between the two countries in trade, power, and connectivity.

CPD Honorary Fellow Professor Dr. Mostafizur Rahman said, “To increase Bangladesh-Nepal trade, non-tariff barriers must be removed. At the same time, transport connectivity needs to be made easier. 40 MW of electricity has already come from Nepal through the Indian grid. Therefore, there is an opportunity to increase connectivity with Nepal under the BBN with the cooperation of India.”

Director General (International Trade, Investment and Technology) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syed Muntasir Mamun, said that Bangladesh and Nepal are working together in various regional and international forums. These forums include SAARC, BIMSTEC, BBIN, etc. There are many opportunities to increase trade and investment between the two countries. We need to work to explore these opportunities.

CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun, CPD Researcher Afrin Mahbub, and Nepal Economic Forum Senior Fellow Aman Pant spoke at the event.