Nirdhan Utthan Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited

Nirdhan Utthan began as a microfinance institution: Nirdhan Utthan Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited was established in 1998 under the Company Act, and started formal operations in 1999 under license from the central bank.Over the years, its operations grew and it has become one of Nepal’s leading microfinance institutions, with a widespread network covering all 77 districts, reaching hundreds of thousands of clients through ~181 branch offices, 10 regional offices, and a central office in Naxal, Kathmandu. NUBL provides a broad array of financial services targeting low-income and underserved households including small loans (microcredit), deposit & savings schemes, micro-insurance, remittance services, and various social-impact and livelihood-support initiatives (such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, and support for agriculture or small enterprises).Their lending methodology combines group-lending models inspired by the original microfinance movement (à la Grameen Bank) and a “Self-Reliant Group” model developed in-house enabling members to graduate to individual loans after qualifying under group repayment history. As of recent disclosures (2025), NUBL has disbursed loans totaling over NPR 264 billion; its outstanding loan book is around NPR 27.15 billion, and its savings/deposit base (plus client outreach) includes over 400,000 active clients, making it among the largest microfinance/financial-inclusion institutions in Nepal.Through its operations, NUBL aims not only to provide credit but to promote self-reliance, upliftment, and poverty reduction helping low-income families access capital, start small enterprises, manage risks, and improve livelihoods across urban, rural, hill and Terai regions. Because of its outreach and social orientation, NUBL plays a dual role: as a financial-service provider and as a social-development actor. Its services help bridge the financial-inclusion gap in remote or under-served areas, giving access to formal financial services to people who otherwise may rely on informal money-lenders or money-economy outside formal banking.