Nepal increases scrutiny of money laundering and property deals

Nepal is implementing stricter regulatory measures across the financial and real estate sectors. To support efforts to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, Nepal Police have intensified investigations into money laundering. Authorities are expanding scrutiny of illicit assets linked to fraud, human trafficking, cryptocurrency dealings, and tax evasion. Currently, police are investigating 25 money laundering cases from the 2025/26 fiscal year, resulting in 64 arrests.

Simultaneously, the Department of Land Management and Archives (DoLMA) has introduced new licensing requirements for large-scale property transactions. In metropolitan and sub-metropolitan areas, firms handling real estate deals exceeding Rs 30 million must now obtain a government license. Licensing fees are set at Rs 500,000 for transactions up to Rs 50 million and Rs 1 million for those exceeding that amount. Under these rules, company directors must also submit affidavits declaring they have no criminal record.