The Nepali rupee is pegged to India's. Here is what that buys and what it costs
A fixed rate since 1993 has kept prices steady across an open border. It also outsources monetary policy.

One hundred and sixty Nepali rupees to one hundred Indian: the rate has not moved in three decades. With an open border and most trade flowing south, a floating rate would mean constant price churn. [1]
The cost is independence. When India's central bank moves, Nepal's must follow or watch reserves drain. [2]
Would anyone change it?
Periodically an economist proposes a managed float. The proposal rarely survives contact with the question of what would happen to prices in the border towns the next morning.
References
- 1.
World Economic Outlook. International Monetary Fund, April 2025.
- 2.
Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation of Nepal. Nepal Rastra Bank, 2025-03-15.
Cite this story
Dispatch Report (2026) ‘The Nepali rupee is pegged to India's. Here is what that buys and what it costs’, 28 September. Available at: https://thedispatchreport.com/article/the-nepali-rupee-is-pegged-to-indias-here-is-what-that-buys-and-what-it-costs (Accessed: 5 October 2026).



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