The Embassy of Nepal hosted the Nepal-UK Tech Forum today on the theme “Fostering Digital Trade and Investment: Strengthening Bilateral Tech Ties”. The Forum showcased Nepal as an emerging IT hub, highlighting a series of success stories in technology, a conducive business environment, and a growing export market for IT-based products and services. The event attracted a distinguished audience comprising think tanks, policymakers, investors, CEOs, and IT professionals – primarily from the United Kingdom – and encouraged mutual benefit through investment in Nepal’s IT sector, expansion of tech-based enterprises, and contributions to the country’s IT exports.
Welcoming the guests, His Excellency Mr Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Ambassador of Nepal to the United Kingdom, presented a compelling overview of Nepal’s technological transformation. He underscored the remarkable progress made in information and communication technology in recent years. Amidst the broader context of labour migration, he noted that tens of thousands of IT graduates now enter the job market annually, delivering high-quality digital solutions to advanced economies – including the UK – often while working remotely from Nepal. This emerging digital workforce is making a substantial contribution to the national GDP. Ambassador Ghimire made a strong appeal to UK-based investors to capitalise on the lucrative opportunities within Nepal’s competitive and skilled IT sector.
His Excellency Mr Rob Fenn, British Ambassador to Nepal, addressed the Forum and commended the Government of Nepal’s recent initiatives to reform the IT sector and foster a competitive investment climate. He acknowledged the progress made but also pointed to the need for Nepal to ensure seamless repatriation of dividends for foreign investors in order to further bolster investor confidence and attract sustained foreign direct investment (FDI), including from the UK.
Delivering the keynote speech, Mr Sushil Gyawali, CEO of the Investment Board Nepal, spoke on “Nepal as an FDI Destination for UK-Based Tech Investors”. He highlighted a range of policy, legal, institutional, and procedural reforms designed to facilitate FDI. Presenting data on Nepal’s investment gap in light of its scheduled graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2026, the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and the targets of Nepal’s 16th National Plan, Mr Gyawali’s address conveyed a message of optimism. He called on UK tech companies and investors to scale up their engagement in Nepal. He also shared ongoing efforts to finalise a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Nepal and the UK to further ease investment flows.
The Forum remained vibrant and engaging through a series of inspiring stories and presentations on infotech, fintech, technology-enabled trade between Nepal and the UK, and operational IT businesses in Nepal. These were followed by panel discussions exploring topics such as artificial intelligence as a growth engine, digital trade, UK investment prospects in Nepal’s digital economy, and the role of digital diplomacy supported by the Nepali diaspora.
Showcased Stories and Presentations
Story 1: The Saga of Outsourcing Accounting Services through Infotech
Story 2: CloudFactory’s Journey in Nepal: An Exciting Success Story
Story 3: Leapfrogging with Fintech: The Nepal Story
Presentation 1: Nepal–UK Tech Trade: Unlocking Bilateral Opportunities
Presentation 2: AI & Technology: A Growth Driver for Nepal
Panel Discussions
Panel 1: Governing the Digital Future: Policy Perspectives on Infotech
Panel 2: Changing Landscapes of Digital Trade in Nepal-UK Relations
Panel 3: FDI Prospects in Nepal-UK Digital Relations, featuring:
- Ms Pranu Singh, Director – Standard Chartered Bank UK (moderator)
- Mr Hem Raj Dhakal, Co-Founder & Managing Director – IME Group
- Mrs Lopa Patel MBE, Digital Entrepreneur & Chair – Diversity UK
- Mr Abhinav Sinha, Managing Director and Head of Technology & Telecoms – BII
- Dr Richard Slater, Director – Triple Line
Special Session:
Fireside Chat: Diaspora & Digital Diplomacy
Honourable Ms Alex Baker MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Nepal, shared her insightful reflections and commended the successful organisation of the Nepal-UK Tech Forum.
The valedictory remarks were delivered by Dr Kapil Rijal, Chair of the Britain-Nepal Chamber of Commerce, who summarised the key takeaways of the day.
A total of 28 speakers contributed across various sessions. Over 100 participants attended, including Ambassadors, senior government officials from Nepal and the UK, business leaders, founders, academics, tech professionals, and researchers.
The Forum concluded with a strong commitment to follow up on the discussions and to facilitate increased IT exports and FDI into Nepal. To that end, it was agreed to establish a “Nepal-UK Digital Working Group”, comprising representatives from both embassies and other relevant stakeholders.
For further information visit https://uk.nepalembassy.gov.np/