Nepal Rastra Bank to Withdraw NPR 35 Billion in Liquidity from Banking System

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has decided to withdraw NPR 35 billion in liquidity from the banking system due to an excess accumulation of funds. The central bank will conduct a deposit collection auction on May 24 for a period of seven days to manage this liquidity.

Recently, deposits in the banking system have been increasing, while the demand for loans has not kept pace, leading to excess liquidity. According to the latest data from NRB, as of May 21, banks and financial institutions had collected NPR 6.194 trillion in deposits but had disbursed only NPR 5.113 trillion in loans. During this period, banks maintained a credit-deposit ratio (CD ratio) of 80.32%, leaving them with more than NPR 500 billion in investable funds.

Due to the ample liquidity with banks, the interbank interest rate has dropped to 2.92%, and the interest rate on treasury bills has also shrunk to a maximum of 3.20%. In response, the central bank has been continuously withdrawing liquidity from the banking system through reverse repo operations and deposit collection tools. On Friday, the central bank will conduct a deposit collection auction for NPR 35 billion, which will be issued the same day. Interested banks and financial institutions can submit their applications by 12 noon.

The objective of this liquidity withdrawal is to maintain balance in the banking system. When banks accumulate excess funds that are not utilized, it can lead to economic imbalances. By withdrawing this excess liquidity, NRB aims to ensure economic stability and balance within the financial system.