Ncell, WithSecure to partner for security

Kathmandu, Aug. 9

Ncell has partnered with WithSecure, a global cybersecurity provider, to enhance security for its enterprise customers.

Ncell Business will now offer advanced cybersecurity solutions designed to protect businesses from evolving digital threats, the company informed in a statement.

WithSecure’s services cover endpoint protection, detection and response (EDR/XDR), cloud security, vulnerability management, email security, and threat intelligence. These solutions are designed to identify, prevent, and respond to cyber risks before they impact operations.

“Our partnership with WithSecure means our customers get world-class protection for their businesses, so they can focus on growing their business without worrying about any cyber threats,” said Dion Asencio, Chief Enterprise Business Officer of Ncell.

Likewise, Paolo Palumbo, Vice-President of WithSecure, said that they wanted to position themselves as the ‘first choice’ for enterprises seeking to maximise Ncell’s cybersecurity return on investment.

WithSecure operates globally with a European foundation, emphasising regulatory compliance and technological flexibility. Its Elements platform helps consolidate cybersecurity operations and scale with enterprise demands.

This collaboration aims to strengthen the digital security infrastructure for Nepali enterprises by providing comprehensive protection and streamlined management tools, read the statement.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 August 2025.

Prabhu Insurance to distribute 18% bonus share

Kathmandu, Aug. 8 

Prabhu Insurance Limited has announced the distribution of 18 per cent bonus shares for the last Fiscal Year 2024/25. 

The bonus shares were announced at the company’s 29th Annual General Meeting held in Kathmandu on Friday. 

Despite adverse economic and market conditions, the company achieved its highest-ever profit in the last fiscal year, providing attractive returns to its shareholders, according to Rajendra Malla, Chairperson of Prabhu Insurance. He said that this record profit distribution has reinforced Prabhu Insurance’s position as a stronger and more reliable institution in the market.

According to Malla, the company has been strictly complying with regulatory requirements, while implementing various policy reforms and advancing long-term strategic plans to strengthen internal governance.

Through digital platforms, the company has made the claims settlement process, policy renewals, and other insurance services simpler and more effective, he said. 

Under its corporate social responsibility commitments, the company has prioritised activities that directly engage with society and contribute to the sustainable development of communities such as in health, education, environmental protection, and disaster management.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 August 2025.

Visa opens office in Nepal

Kathmandu, Aug. 6 

Visa (NYSE: V), a worldwide digital payments company has formally opened its dedicated Nepal office in Kathmandu. 

“The inauguration of Visa’s Nepal office underscores the company’s long-term commitment to supporting the country’s journey toward a cashless economy,” the company said in a statement.

According to it, this strategic move aims to broaden access to digital payments and deliver seamless, secure financial solutions for both consumers and merchants.

Additionally, Visa appointed Manoj Thapa as Head of its Nepal office. “In his new role, Thapa will focus on strengthening local partnerships and accelerating the adoption of secure, innovative digital payments solutions to meet the country’s evolving needs,” read the statement. 

Sabbir Ahmed, Country Manager for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan at Visa said, “Manoj’s appointment reflects Visa’s ongoing commitment to Nepal as a trusted partner to support the country’s digital transformation.”

Born in Nepal, Manoj has a global outlook shaped by his academic and professional experiences in the UK and India. 

He had served as Head of Partnerships and Innovation at Fonepay, where he led cross-border payment initiatives and forged impactful alliances with international and local financial institutions. Prior to that, as Senior Business Development Manager at LivQuik Technology Pvt Ltd. in India, he successfully led business development efforts that contributed significantly to the company's growth. 

“Visa’s commitment to innovation and secure commerce matches my aspiration to enable a digitally empowered Nepal and I look forward to creating a meaningful impact,” said Thapa. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 August 2025.

Nabil receives two awards

Kathmandu, Aug. 8 

Nabil Bank has received two prestigious awards at the Asian Banking and Finance Awards 2025: the ‘Cybersecurity Innovation Award – Nepal’ and ‘Nepal Domestic Project Finance Bank of the Year.’ 

“The Cybersecurity Innovation Award highlights Nabil Bank’s proactive approach to strengthening its digital security framework, ensuring customers enjoy a secure and seamless banking experience in an increasingly complex digital environment,” the bank said in a statement on Friday. 

Simultaneously, the Project Finance Bank of the Year award recognises the Bank’s pivotal role in financing key infrastructure and development projects that are helping to drive economic growth across Nepal.

Nabil’s CEO Manoj Gyawali, said, “These awards are a reflection of the dedication and passion of our entire team, and the enduring trust our customers and stakeholders place in us.” He further said that the bank will continue to innovate and grow, we remain focused on delivering smarter, safer, and more future-ready banking solutions for Nepal.

Nabil has 268 branches and 320 ATM network all over the country.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 August 2025.

Pokhara launches Energy Plan

Kathmandu, Aug. 6 

Pokhara Metropolitan City has launched its first Municipal Energy Plan (MEP) as a step toward sustainable urban development and clean energy planning. 

The five-year plan to expand energy access, enhance energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy solutions to meet its growing energy demands—while aligning with Nepal’s national energy and climate goals. 

Mayor of Pokhara Dhanaraj Acharya formally unveiled the MEP at a programme on Wednesday. The event was attended by Deputy Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, Dr. Narayan Prasad Adhikari, Senior Energy Specialist of GIZ Nepal, Dr. Narayan P. Chaulagain along with other representatives from the Metropolitan City, GIZ Nepal and private sector.

The MEP was developed by the Energy Development Subcommittee with technical support from REEEP-GREEN project following a comprehensive nine step preparation process that included intensive stakeholder consultations. The plan was formally approved and endorsed by Pokhara Metropolitan City in February 2025, read a statement issued by the stakeholders of the plan. 

With a total budget of Rs. 1.339 billion, the MEP outlines a vision for achieving efficient and sustainable energy for Prosperous Pokhara. 

It has identified key priority areas such as increasing the generation and use of clean, efficient renewable energy at the household level, promoting transition from conventional and imported fuels to locally available renewable sources, enhancing energy efficiency in commercial and industrial sectors while reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, and raising public awareness through policy initiatives and educational campaigns. 

Speaking at the event, Mayor Acharya reaffirmed the city’s strong commitment to implementing the plan in close collaboration with all stakeholders. He emphasised its critical role in advancing Pokhara’s journey toward a greener, more resilient, and energy-smart future. Acharya also highlighted the importance of effective coordination amongst all three tiers of government to ensure the successful implementation of such ambitious initiatives.

REEEP-GREEN is a joint initiative financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project is implemented by GIZ and its partners, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation (MoEWRI) and AEPC. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 August 2025.

PM stresses connectivity, transit and infrastructure for LLDCs

Kathmandu, Aug. 6 

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that to deepen the South-South cooperation for the successful implementation of the Awaza Programm of Action, the partners must harness South-South and triangular cooperation to promote regional integration by investing in resilient physical and digital infrastructure.

Likewise, they must work collectively to develop trade and transit corridors, modernise infrastructure, and harmonise customs procedures to enhance cross border trade and investment.

“It is critical to establish the Infrastructure Investment Facility for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), enabling us to finance priority development projects. We must also embrace and accelerate digital transformation to participate meaningfully in the global digital economy,” said PM Oli while speaking at the opening of the Ministerial Meeting on South-South Cooperation at the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza of Turkmenistan on Wednesday.

He urged the LLDCs to seize this moment to reinvigorate South-South cooperation as a dynamic force for shared progress while stressing the urgency of the need. 

He said that while geography should never limit human ambition—especially in today’s interconnected and technologically advanced world, for LLDCs, geographical constraints remain a significant structural barrier to progress.

According to PM Oli, a confluence of global crises – geopolitical tensions, food and energy security, rising inflation, and shrinking fiscal space has further intensified the challenges for the LLDCs. 

“In the face of these compounding pressures, LLDCs are striving to mobilise domestic resources, attract foreign investment, and secure development assistance. But progress is faltering: Official Development Assistance and Foreign Direct Investment flows to LLDCs are on a persistent decline,” said PM Oli. 

According to his speech delivered at the meeting sent to the media by the PM’s secretariat, most often, development cooperation is misaligned with national priorities, limiting its long-term impact while the accelerating impacts of climate change continue to disproportionately erode the hard-won development gains of LLDCs.

PM Oli said that in an endeavour in structural transformation, South-South Cooperation can be instrumental to support LLDCs.

“Rooted in solidarity, mutual respect, and shared ownership, South-South Cooperation promotes peer learning, capacity development, and technology transfer tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of LLDCs—helping to build a more equitable and inclusive growth,” he said. 

Likewise, speaking at ‘High-Level Thematic Roundtable 2: Seizing the Transformative Potential of Trade, Trade Facilitation, and Regional Integration for LLCs’, PM Oli said that trade is a powerful engine of economic growth in the interconnected and interdependent world. 

“Trade can significantly contribute to socio-economic development of LLDCs, like others. But, despite their huge trade potential, LLDCs account for just over one percent of global trade in goods,” he maintained. 

Stating that with sincere implementation of these measures, LLDCs can harness their trade potentials for inclusive and sustainable development, PM Oli said that the countries need to strengthen cooperation and partnership at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to achieve it.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), Ismail Ersahin, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the sideliens of the conference on Wednesday.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 August 2025.

LLDCs face multiple barriers: PM

Kathmandu, Aug. 5

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) continue to face persistent structural barriers including geographical isolation, dependency on transit countries, inadequate transport networks and limited integration into regional and global markets.

"These challenges are even more acute for half of the LLDCs that are also LDCs. Their very geography of 'landlockedness' continues to hinder their development," he said while speaking at the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza of Turkmenistan on Tuesday. 

According to him, despite two decades of journey from Almaty to Vienna Programme of Action, LLDCs still grapple with infrastructure and connectivity deficits, high trade and transit costs, limited diversification and little value addition, heavy reliance on primary commodity exports, and low levels of private investment. 

These barriers, also including growing vulnerability to climate change and disasters, pose severe impediments to their economic growth and development, said PM Oli.  

However, he said that the LLDCs are not only defined by their inherent geographical constraints but also by their potentials like untapped natural endowments and opportunities in investment.

They are home to youthful and innovative populations. They are increasingly engaging in the digital economy.

"This is the moment to unlock that potential. But we need stronger political will, renewed and strengthened global partnership that leaves no country behind, and coordinated actions at all levels," he said. 

PM Oli also expressed his belief that with the right policies, strong solidarity and support, LLDCs can transition from landlocked to land-linked, from transit-dependent to trade-competitive, and from climate-vulnerable to climate-resilient countries. 

The conference announced the Awaza Programme of Action with priorities in structural transformation and technological innovation, trade facilitation and regional integration, transit, transport and connectivity, climate resilience and adaptation, and means of implementation. 

Mentioning these priorities, PM Oli said that while the conference was a call to collective resolve, the PoA was the pathway to equity, inclusion and shared opportunities. 

He urged the LLDCs to invest in smart, sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, deepen regional and sub-regional cooperation, harness technology to advance and accelerate development and drive progress through inclusive global partnership with shared responsibility to turn isolation into integration and potential into prosperity. 

PM Oli also informed the international community that as an LLDC, Nepal has been facing high transport costs, limited regional integration and inadequate infrastructure. However, the country is investing in highways and railways, cross-border trade routes, digital corridors and green partnerships to transform Nepal from a landlocked to a land-linked country. 

"We are working closely with our neighbours, India and China, to enhance connectivity and integration across multiple domains. With strengthened partnerships, smart investments and unwavering collective will, we can overcome limitations of landlockedness and ensure economic prosperity to our people," said PM Oli.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 August 2025.