Kathmandu, October 28 – Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle, who is in Doha to attend the 11th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), held a meeting with AIIB President Zou Jiayi.

During the meeting, Minister Wagle urged President Zou to expand AIIB investment in Nepal, support post-disaster reconstruction and facilitate greater access to concessional financing.

President Zou expressed deep sympathy over the loss of lives and damage caused by the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi River in Nepal. She pledged to provide possible support from the bank for resilient post-disaster reconstruction.

Zou said the AIIB could provide grant assistance for project preparation through its Project Preparation Special Fund. She also said that grants under the specialized fund window could help keep AIIB loans to Nepal at highly concessional interest rates.

The AIIB president reiterated the bank’s commitment to further cooperation with Nepal, one of its founding member countries, in advancing the country’s economic development.

During the meeting, Minister Wagle congratulated President Zou on her appointment and expressed appreciation for the support AIIB has provided to Nepal as a founding member.

He urged the bank to expedite studies on the expressway project and the electricity distribution system improvement and expansion projects currently being implemented with AIIB investment.

Minister Wagle also requested AIIB to mobilize its own resources as well as resources from other development partners for medium- and long-term support in areas including green energy, cross-border electricity transmission lines, road infrastructure and digital infrastructure.

During the discussion, Minister Wagle also invited President Zou to visit Nepal within 2026.