जोखिम लगानीकर्ताको, फाइदा सरकारलाई

 बैक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाको आर्थिक वर्ष २०७७-०७८को अपरिष्कृत वित्तीय विवरणअनुसार गत आवमा बैकहरुले ९०.८८ अर्ब रुपैयाँ सञ्चालन नाफा कमाएका छन् । जसमा सरकारलाई तिर्ने विभिन्न प्रत्यक्ष करलगायत काटेर ६३.३७ अर्ब खुद मुनाफा छ । तर, उक्त नाफाबाट लाभांशको रूपमा लगानीकर्तालाई करिब ४८.५८ अर्ब वितरित भयो । त्यसमध्ये पनि करिब ४१.२५ अर्ब बोनस सेयर रहेको छ भने नगद लाभांश भनिएको ७.३३ अर्बबाट लाभांश कर कटाउँदा लगानीकर्ताले करिब ४.९ अर्बमात्र पाए ।

यसरी तथ्यांक हेर्दा बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थामा जोखिम मोलेर लगानी गर्ने प्रबद्र्धक तथा साधारण सेयरधनीले भन्दा सरकारले बढी प्रतिफल पाउने गरेको पाइन्छ ।

तर, बजारमा भने बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाले धेरै नाफा कमाए । महामारीमा पनि बैंकहरुले कसरी नाफा कमाए भन्ने इष्र्यामिश्रित आश्चर्यका प्रश्नहरु सबै बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाहरुमाथि उठिरहन्छ । जसका कारण नाफा कमाउनु नै अपराध हो कि भनेझैं मान्यता स्थापित गर्न खोजिएको देखिएको एक बैंकरले कारोबारलाई बताए । ‘नाफा नगरे कसरी सरकारलाई कर बुझाउने अनि जोखिम मोलेर लगानी गर्ने ? लगानीकर्तालाई के दिने ?’ उनी प्रश्न गर्दछन् ।

तर, के बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थामा प्रबद्र्धकदेखि साधारण सेयरधनी लगानीकर्ताले बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थामा जोखिम मोलेर लगानी गरेबापत अचाक्ली नै प्रतिफल पाएका छन् त ?

मानौं, कुनै बैंकले १०० रुपैयाँ कुल नाफा कमायो, उसले पहिला त्यो नाफाबाट १० रुपैयाँ कर्मचारीलाई बोनस छुट्याउँछ । त्यसपछि बाँकी ९० रुपैयाँमा सरकारलाई ३० प्रतिशत कर बुझाउँछ, जसमा २७ रुपैयाँ हाराहारी जान्छ । त्यसपछि १०० रुपैयाँ कुल नाफामा ६३ रुपैयाँ चानचुन बाँकी रहन्छ । त्यो ६३ रुपैयाँबाट एक प्रतिशत सामाजिक उत्तरदायित्वका लागि छुट्याएपछि बाँकी ६२.२७ नाफा सिद्धान्ततः लगानीकर्ताको हो । तर, व्यवहारमा भने नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकले तोेकेका अन्य नियामकीय तथा प्रुडेन्सियल बैंकिङको लागी चाहिने विविध रकम फेरि त्यो करिब ६३ रुपैयाँबाट छुट्याउनुपर्छ । त्यसपछि मात्रै लगानीकर्ताले जोखिम मोलेर गरेको आफ्नो लगानीकोे प्रतिफल पाउँछन् । सरकारले पाउने अझ लाभांश कर तथा ब्याजकरलगायतको अप्रत्यक्ष करको हिसाब गर्दा जोखिम जति लगानीकर्तालाई तथा फाइदा जति सरकारलाई हुने व्यवसायलाई नेपालमा बैंकिङ भनिन्छ ।

किनकि, बाँड्न मिल्ने प्रतिफलबाट पनि बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाको जोखिम कम गर्न एवं अन्य नियामकीय व्यवस्थाअन्तर्गत नाफाबाट केही रकम अझै छुट्याउनुपर्छ । जुन रकम बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थालाई बलियो तथा जोखिमरहित बनाउन हो । तर, पछिल्लो दुई वर्षमा राष्ट्र बैंकले नगद लाभांशलाई दुरुत्साहन गरेपछि बोनस सेयरको नाममा नाफा पुँजीकृत हुँदै गएको छ । एकातिर नाफामा नै संकुचन आउनु अर्कोतिर राष्ट्र बैंकले व्यवस्था गरेअनुरुप बोनस सेयर थपेर पुँजीकृत गर्दै जानुपर्ने बाध्यताले पनि बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थालाई आफ्नो व्यवसाय विस्तार गर्न दबाब बढेको छ ।

पछिल्लो वर्ष बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाले आक्रामक कर्जा विस्तार गर्नुमा बोनस सेयर पुँजीकृत गर्नुपर्ने बाध्यता तथा अन्य क्षेत्र सुस्ताएका कारण बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थासँग लगानीयोग्य तरलता बढी भएर हो । नेपाल बैंकर्स संघका निवर्तमान अध्यक्ष भुवन दाहालका अनुसार गत आवमा कर्जा विस्तार हुनुमा बजारमा अत्यधिक लगानीयोग्य तरलता रहेको हो । तर, लगानी बढे पनि हरेक वर्ष बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाका लगानीकर्ताले पाउने प्रतिफल भने घट्दै गइरहेको उनको भनाइ छ ।

Commercial banks record low profit growth

The profit growth rate of the commercial banks has dropped in the first quarter of the current fiscal year compared to the same period of the last fiscal year, though they have posted profit as usual.
The commercial banks recorded a total of Rs 16.17 billion profit – in the first quarter of the current fiscal year – an increase by 6.25 per cent compared to the same period in the last fiscal year, according to the unaudited financial statements of the commercial banks.
During the first quarter of the last fiscal year, the 28 commercial banks collectively had recorded Rs 15.4 billion profits, revealed the statement that shows Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) as the top profit earner – with Rs 1.127 billion profit – in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. In the first three months of fiscal year 2018-19, the wholly-state owned bank had recorded Rs 1.119 billion profit.
Nabil Bank followed Rastriya Banijya Bank in the race to earn highest profit with Rs 1.123 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Nabil had posted Rs 1.05 billion profit in the last fiscal year’s first quarter. The third bank to be in the billionair club is NIC Asia Bank that has earned Rs 1.009 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2019-20.
Likewise, Nepal SBI Bank, Citizens Bank, Siddhartha Bank, Bank of Kathmandu, NCC Bank, Nepal Investment Bank, Civil Bank and Nepal Bank profit growth rate has dropped compared to the first quarter of the last fiscal year.
Among the eight commercial banks Nepal Investment Bank had earned Rs 1.05 billion in the first quarter of last fiscal year but posted only Rs 844 million profit in the same period this fiscal year. Likewise, Nepal Bank’s profit has also dropped to Rs 581.8 million in first quarter of the current fiscal year compared to Rs 913.88 million profit in same period last fiscal year. The profit of Nepal SBI Bank has also come down to Rs 437.23 million in the first quarter of 2019-20 from Rs 489.77 million during the same period last fiscal year, whereas Bank of Kathmandu’s (BoK) earning has also been limited to Rs 383.7 million from Rs 386.82 million in the first quarter of last fiscal year.
Among, the 28 commercial banks, Civil Bank ranks the lowest in the profit earning. According to the bank’s unaudited financial statement, the bank has posted Rs 158.9 million profit in the first quarter of this fiscal year against Rs 185 million profit in the last fiscal year’s first quarter.

Leakage control boosts NEA profit

The state power utility has doubled the profit in a year due to its efficiency in controlling leakage, though it still has cumulative loss.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has earned a net profit of Rs 7.2 billion in the fiscal year 2018-19, whereas it had recorded Rs 2.9 billion profit in the previous fiscal year 2017-18. Likewise, it had recorded a loss of Rs 8.8 billion in the fiscal year 2015-16.
The NEA was able to generate profit due to the end to load-shedding, reduction in the average price of imported and domestic electricity, control of administration and technical expenses, and implementation of financial reform measures, informed managing director of NEA Kulman Ghising, after whose appointment the NEA has been making continuous profits.
The cumulative loss of the power utility has come down by Rs 10 billion to Rs 15 billion – as of today – as it had incurred a loss of Rs 8.8 billion in the fiscal year 2015-16 alone making a cumulative loss of Rs 34.61 billion, Rs 28.17 billion in 2016-17, Rs 25.59 billion 2017-18, and Rs 8.89 billion in the fiscal year 2015-16, he informed at a press meet today. The state-owned company, which had always been in the red, started making profits after the appointment of Ghising.
Likewise, minister for Energy, Water Resource, and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun also attributed the profit and reduction of cumulative loss – in the last three years – to leakage control, tightening payment of dues, and improved situation of distribution lines and sub-stations.
The power leakage has been reduced to 15.32 per cent in the fiscal year 2018-19 from 20.45 per cent in the fiscal year 2017-18, according to the NEA. “The power leakage in the fiscal year 2009-10 stood at 28.91 per cent,’ the NEA annual report reads, adding that the control in leakage is also due to regular campaign. “The NEA has been running campaigns to control power theft, control leakage, tighten payment of due bills and these initiatives have helped reduce power leakage.”
The leakage is 11 per cent on the distribution side and 4 per cent on the technical side. The NEA has reached South Asian standard in controlling distribution leakage, whereas it is now focusing on reduction of technical leakage. “We are planning to reduce the leakage by five percentage points and maintain it at around 10 per cent in the ongoing fiscal year,” Ghising said, adding that the NEA expects to meet the average electricity leakage of other South Asian countries, which stands at eight to 10 per cent.
According to the NEA annual report, the number of consumers connected to the national grid has also increased by 10 per cent in the last fiscal year. “However, a major quantum of power being consumed in the country is being supplied from India, it adds.
“Of the total 7.55 billion units of electricity consumed in the country in the last fiscal year, NEA had contributed 2.55 billion units, independent power producers had supplied 2.19 billion units and the remaining 2.81 billion units was imported from India,” the report reads, adding that NEA has, meanwhile, exported 34.7 million units of electricity worth Rs 320 million to India through various local cross-border transmission lines. “NEA has built a total of 757 km of transmission circuit line, of which a length of 606 km has been charged in the national grid so far.”
The NEA also constructed 9,722 km of local distribution lines that are of below 33 kVA capacity in the last fiscal year, whereas NEA constructed 40 substations and installed 6,581 new transformers across the country.
The NEA report also reads that NEA has completed the construction of 60-MW Upper Trishuli III A hydropower project, and hopes to complete the 456-MW Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project by this fiscal year.

New NEA Act on Cards
“A new electricity act is on cards to match the federal structure and replace the existing NEA Act 1984,” Pun said, adding that the country has aimed to end the use of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and replace it with the use of electricity. “The draft will also be forwarded to the provinces and concerned stakeholders to receive feedback and suggestions.”
He also informed that the new act will have a provision to allocate shares of NEA to the public.
“We are about to finalise the criteria for establishing vehicle charging stations to encourage electric vehicles,” Pun said, adding that that the government is also planning to formulate policy to promote electric cooking in every household.

Fiscal Year – Profit – Leakage
2016-17 – Rs 1.5 bn – 22.90 per cent
2017-18 – Rs 2.9 bn – 20.45 per cent
2018-19 – Rs 7.2 bn – 15.32 per cent
2019-20 (projected) – Rs 15 bn – 10.50 per cent
Source: NEA