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South Asia
Expansion of Formal and Semi-Formal Financial Sectors in Nepal by Bhuwan Thapaliya The Nepali government aimed at increasing economic growth at a faster rate, reducing poverty and regional imbalances in its Eighth Plan. The government also further intensified the financial reform process through the implementation of Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program (1992/93 – 1994/95) that had the objectives of promoting competition in the financial system, enhancing domestic savings, fostering efficient allocation of financial resources, and increasing flow of financial resources in the priority sector. Nepal Living Standards Survey conducted by Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in 1996, fourth year of the Eighth Plan Period, revealed the population below poverty line being reduced to 42 percent. Having achieved some success in poverty reduction front during the Eighth Plan, the government implemented the Ninth Plan (1997/98 – 2001/02) with the sole objective of poverty reduction and fixed the target of increasing economic growth rate at 6.0 percent per year, and reducing the percentage of population below poverty line from 42.0 to 32.0. The Plan had adopted the concept of reducing poverty through higher growth rate in agricultural sector and creating employment opportunities by deploying increased investments in water resources, tourism and industrial sectors, and had implemented policies and programs accordingly. Estimates based on the performance of the first three years of the Ninth Plan Period indicated further reduction in the population below poverty line to 38 percent [National Planning Commission 2001]. The prominent participants / actors in the Nepalese financial market can be categorized into three sectors: Formal, Semi-Formal, and Informal. The type of participants and their numbers by sector, as of mid January 2003 are as follows: Commercial Banks Nepal’s official financial system began in 1937 with the establishment of Nepal Bank Limited (NBL), the first commercial bank in the country. Rastriya Banijaya Bank (RBB), the second commercial bank was set up in 1966. Thus, till 1983, only two commercial banks and two development banks were operating in the country. In the process of financial reform initiated in early 1980s, a policy to allow joint venture banks with external collaboration was adopted in 1984 so as to attract modern technology and management into the banking sector. As a result, Nepal Arab Bank Ltd., the first joint venture bank was established in 1984, making a total of three commercial banks by mid July1985, end of the Sixth Five Year Plan. Subsequently, the Nepal Indo-Suez Bank and the Nepal Grindlays Bank were also set up in 1986 and 1987 respectively, in joint venture ship with foreign banks. Then, after a gap of about five years, the Himalayan Bank in joint venture ship with the Habib Bank of Pakistan was licensed by NRB in 1992. With the establishment of Nepal SBI Bank and Nepal Bangladesh Bank in 1993, Everest Bank and Bank of Kathmandu in 1994, and Bank of Ceylon in 1996, a total of 11 commercial banks were in operation by mid July 1997, end of the Eighth Five year Plan. Over the Ninth Five Year Plan Period another five commercial banks (Lumbini Bank, Nepal Industrial & Commercial Bank, Machhapuchhre Bank, Kumari Bank and Laxmi Bank) were also set up, and by January 2003, the number of CBs operating in the country reached 17. Finance Companies The Finance Company Act was enacted only in 1986, the first year of the Seventh Five Year Plan. However, no promoters came forward to set up finance companies till 1991. It was only in the Fiscal Year 1992/93 that four companies, namely the Nepal Housing Development Finance, Nepal Finance and Savings, NIDC Capital Markets, and National Finance were licensed by NRB. A total of 41 finance companies were established during the Eighth Five Year Plan Period (1992/93 – 1996/97), whereas only13 companies were set up during the Ninth Five Year Plan Period (1997/98 – 2001/02). Thus, by January 2003, the number of finance companies operating in the country reached 55 including one company registered in the first year of the Tenth Plan Period. These finance companies are not required either by Act or by NRB directives to extend loans to the deprived sections of the societies. Development Banks Nepal Industrial Development Bank (NIDC) was established in 1959 under Nepal Industrial Development Corporation Act, 1959 to address the financial needs of the industrial sector. After about nine years, Agricultural Development Bank (ADBN) was set up in 1968 under Agricultural Development Bank Act, 1967 by incorporating the assets and liabilities of the then Cooperative Bank, established in 1963. The objective of ADBN was to provide financial services to cooperatives; individuals, and corporate bodies engaged in agricultural activities and agro-based enterprises. Later on in 1973, the Land Reform Savings Corporation (LRSC), which was set up in 1966 was also merged into ADBN. Only these two development banks were in operation for more than three decades. It was only in 1996 that the Development Bank Act was enacted. The Nepal Development Bank, the first development bank licensed under this Act was opened in 1998. Other three development banks, Siddhartha, Malika and Uddyam were also set up in 1998. During 2000 – 2001 period, four more development banks (Development Credit Bank, United Development Bank, Nepal Cottage and Small Industries Development Bank, and Narayani Industrial Development Bank) were established, and by January 2003, the number of development banks operating in the country reached 10 including ADBN and NIDC. One point worth mentioning here is that these development banks are not poverty-focused banks. Rural Microfinance Development Banks Two regional level rural microfinance development banks (also known as Grameen Bikas Banks), one each in the Eastern and the Far-Western Development Regions were established towards the end of 1992. By June 1996, other three such banks, one each in the other three Development Regions were also set up. These Grameen Bikas Banks represent an innovative outreach model patterned on the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, which caters the financial needs of the deprived sections of the society in rural areas. His Majesty's Government and Nepal Rastra bank (NRB) own majority shares of these banks. Later on, the private sector promoters set up Nirdhan Utthan Bank in 1998 and the Shwabalamban Bikas Bank in 2001, both of which are also grameen bank replicators. Deprosc Bikas Bank and the Chhimek Bikas Bank established in 2000 and 2001 respectively are also poverty focused microfinance banks, but don't follow the grameen bank pattern. However, all these nine microfinance institutions provide retail-banking services to the deprived sections of the societies without physical collateral. With a view to provide wholesale loans and also strengthen the capabilities of the rural microfinance institutions the "Rural Microfinance Development Centre" was set up in 1998 under Asian Development Bank's initiatives and the Sana Kisan Bikas Bank in 2001 under GTZ's initiatives. Both are second tier institutions. The former provides wholesale loans to microfinance institutions, such as poverty focused development banks, SCCs and FI-NGOs, whereas the latter extends such loans mainly to the member SCCs. By January 2003, a total of 11 rural microfinance banks were in operation and all of them were licensed under the Development bank Act, 1996. Savings and Credit Cooperatives Cooperative Act, 1992 was enacted in 1992. It provided legal framework for the cooperatives to function as people based institutions. No Savings and Credit Cooperatives were established till1993/94. It was only in 1994/95 that altogether 228 SCCs were registered. The number increased to 343 in mid July 1996, 1,271 in mid July 1999 and 2,262 in mid July 2002. Of a total of 2,262 SCCs in mid July 2002, 34 had been licensed by NRB under the Cooperative Act, 1992 to undertake limited banking activities. Financial Intermediary Non-Governmental Organizations In Nepal, Society Registration Act, 1978 allows non-profit welfare organization to register as an NGO. Enactment of Financial Intermediary Societies Act, 1998 enables such NGOs to provide financial services to the deprived section of the societies under group guarantee basis. However, the NGOs willing to undertake such functions will have to get license from NRB before they start the microfinance activities. Social Welfare council's estimate indicates the existence of 18,000 NGOs operating in the country [Kantipur, April 30,1996]. Of this total, 13 NGOs had taken license from NRB in 2000. The number of such FI-NGOs increased to 17 in 2001, and to 37 by January 2003. The Financial Intermediary Societies Act, 1998 has made it obligatory on the part of FI-NGOs to provide financial services only to the people below the poverty line, that too under the group guarantee system References: Sharma, Shalik Ram ( 2003): - Banking Development and poverty alleviation effort in Nepal. Central Bureau of Statistics (1996) - "Statistical Pocket Book, Nepal", Kathmandu. Asian Development Bank (1998) – "Microfinance: An Interim Action Plan", Asian Development Bank, Manila. National Planning Commission (1984) – "Seventh Plan (1985 - 1990), Part 1", His Majesty's Government, B.S. 2042, Jestha, Kathmandu [In Nepali Language]. ------------------------------------------ (1992) - "Eighth Plan (1992 - 1997), Summary", His Majesty's Government, Kathmandu. -----------------------------------------&nnbsp; (1998) - "Ninth Plan (1997-2002)", His Majesty's Government, Kathmandu. ----------------------------------------- ((2001) - "Mid-Term Evaluation of the Ninth Plan", His Majesty's Government of Nepal, Kathmandu. ----------------------------------------- ((2001) - "Concept Paper of the Tenth Plan (2002/03 – 2006/07)", His Majesty's Government of Nepal, Kathmandu. About the Author(s): See under Our Contributors to find out about the Author(s) of this article. |
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