US Charge d'Affaires to Nepal Scott Arbam has emphasized expanding investment and creating business-friendly policies in a meeting with the Minister of Communications and Information Technology.
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Amidst the talk of American technology companies like Uber and Meta wanting to expand their business in Nepal, US Acting Ambassador to Nepal Scott Arbam has expressed similar intentions after meeting Minister for Communications and Information Technology Vikram Timilsina. The ministry said that during the courtesy call held at Singha Durbar on Friday, discussions were held on transforming Nepal's information technology sector and strengthening bilateral cooperation.
During the meeting, Acting Ambassador Arbam informed that US private sector investors have shown great interest in Nepal's information technology sector. He said that more US investment could come in if Nepal creates appropriate policies and a conducive investment environment.
The Kathmandu Post had published a news last week that the world's largest ride-hailing company 'Uber' is set to enter the Nepali market within a month. The US multinational company, headquartered in San Francisco, has been studying the Nepali market for the past few months and is in discussions with local stakeholders, according to sources. Currently, ride-hailing services like Pathao, InDrive, and Yango are operating in Nepal. The arrival of Uber is expected to increase competition. Similarly, Nepal News.com Chairman Pramodraj Sedhai wrote on social media that Meta (Facebook), the most popular social networking platform in Nepal, is also preparing to set up a data center here. He mentioned that this will reduce international bandwidth costs by up to 25 percent and reduce pressure on internet infrastructure. He claims that other big technology companies like Google and Amazon are also considering taking similar steps in Nepal. The government has also eased some procedures to attract foreign investment in the information technology sector. Currently, there is no minimum threshold for foreign investment for projects in the information technology sector. During the meeting, Minister of Communications Timilsina said that the government is working rapidly to create a business-friendly environment and bring regulatory clarity. The Department of Transport Management has prepared a draft of the 'Digital Mobility Service Operation Standards 2026' to regulate services like Uber and sent it to the ministry, and it is in the approval stage. A few years ago, there was talk that Google could study the possibility of opening a data center in Nepal. Although Google intended to generate more electricity for the data center by operating a hydroelectric project, some experts in the technology sector say that it did not see the regulatory hassle at that time. Sudeep Archay, the then CEO of DishHome, had said at a public event about the Google representative's visit to Nepal for a feasibility study. Currently, some American companies are operating in Nepal in the form of direct and joint venture (JV) or franchise. Information technology service exporters KotiVT, Leapfrog Technology, and FuseMachines, listed on the American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, have their headquarters in Nepal. Beverages like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have also been in the Nepali market for a long time. American brands KFC and Pizza Hut operate in Nepal through Devyani International. American service providers including DHL Courier Service and Western Union have a presence in Nepal. Recently, American investors have shown more interest in Nepal's information technology sector.
