Dr. Vishwanath Paudel Set to be Appointed Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank

Kathmandu — After lengthy discussions, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba have reached an agreement to appoint Dr. Vishwanath Paudel as the new Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank. The formal consensus was finalized on Tuesday morning.

Dr. Paudel, former Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission, had resigned from the Governor Recommendation Committee after Congress proposed his name for the governorship.

Widely regarded as a trusted confidant of Deuba, Dr. Paudel was appointed Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission on August 28, 2021, during Deuba’s premiership. He is also said to have a close personal relationship with Deuba’s wife, Arju Rana.

Dr. Paudel served on the Board of Trustees at Arju Rana’s private school, Yulance School, in Lalitpur from August 2019 to July 2021. Known for his deep research and writings on economic matters, he is recognized as an expert on Nepal’s economic history.

He earned his PhD in Economics from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. Prior to that, he completed his graduate studies in economics in the United States and holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from a university in Shanghai, China. Dr. Paudel is also a scholar of the economies, societies, and histories of both China and the United States.

His articles on economics and history have been published widely across various media. Between 2012 and 2013, he served as a director at Sanima Bank. He has also worked as an economist for the World Bank, the International Labour Organization’s Nepal office, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Nepal mission.

His appointment is expected to usher in a new chapter of leadership for Nepal Rastra Bank.