Cooperativesसहकारी

What is changing?

• No one may run a cooperative without registering it under this Act. The Registrar (or an authorised officer) must register a cooperative within 30 days if its by-laws follow the law and it can run on cooperative principles, controlled by its members. The Act has been heavily amended: a 2081 amendment set up a National Cooperative Regulatory Authority and abolished the National Cooperative Development Board, and the Cooperatives (First Amendment) Act 2083 added stricter rules for savings-and-credit cooperatives. Since that amendment, new cooperatives whose main business is savings and credit may be registered only at the local level, under standards set by the Authority, and all such cooperatives must hold an operating licence from the Authority, renewed every year, with 'fit and proper' tests for directors and chief executives.यस ऐनबमोजिम दर्ता नगरी कसैले सहकारी संस्था सञ्चालन गर्न पाउँदैन। विनियम कानूनअनुसार भएको र सदस्य केन्द्रित भई सहकारी सिद्धान्तअनुसार सञ्चालन हुन सक्ने आधार भएमा रजिष्ट्रार वा अधिकारप्राप्त अधिकारीले ३० दिनभित्र दर्ता गर्नुपर्छ। ऐनमा ठूला संशोधन भएका छन्: २०८१ को संशोधनले राष्ट्रिय सहकारी नियमन प्राधिकरण स्थापना गरी राष्ट्रिय सहकारी विकास बोर्ड खारेज गर्‍यो, र सहकारी (पहिलो संशोधन) ऐन, २०८३ ले बचत तथा ऋण सहकारीका लागि थप कडा व्यवस्था गर्‍यो। उक्त संशोधनपछि बचत तथा ऋणको मुख्य कारोबार गर्ने नयाँ सहकारी प्राधिकरणको मापदण्डअनुसार स्थानीय तहमा मात्र दर्ता हुन्छन्, र त्यस्ता सबै सहकारीले प्राधिकरणबाट हरेक वर्ष नवीकरण गर्नुपर्ने कार्यसञ्चालन इजाजतपत्र लिनुपर्छ, जसका लागि सञ्चालक र प्रमुख कार्यकारीको योग्यता र अनुभव (फिट एन्ड प्रोपर टेस्ट) जाँचिन्छ। Ministry of Law Sections 13–16A, pp. 12–17 (consolidated text, amendments to end of Bhadra 2083); title page, p. 1; explanatory note on repeals, p. 147

What holds it back?

As documented by the official reviews and reports named beside each point.

• Problem cooperatives: by mid-March 2026, 80,087 claimants had claimed Rs 47.60 billion from cooperatives declared problematic, and 3,688 had been paid in full (Rs 2.55 billion).समस्याग्रस्त सहकारी: २०२६ मार्च मध्यसम्म समस्याग्रस्त घोषित सहकारीबाट ८०,०८७ दाबीकर्ताले रु. ४७ अर्ब ६० करोड दाबी गरेका थिए, र ३,६८८ जनाले मात्र पूरा रकम (रु. २ अर्ब ५५ करोड) पाएका थिए। Ministry of Finance (Economic Survey)अर्थ मन्त्रालय (आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण) Ministry of Financeअर्थ मन्त्रालय
• The Auditor General reports that, of Rs 46.96 billion claimed by 79,445 savers of problem cooperatives, Rs 2.15 billion (4.59%) had been refunded or settled.महालेखापरीक्षकका अनुसार समस्याग्रस्त सहकारीका ७९,४४५ बचतकर्ताले दाबी गरेको रु. ४६ अर्ब ९५ करोड ८६ लाखमध्ये रु. २ अर्ब १५ करोड ३९ लाख (४.५९ प्रतिशत) मात्र फिर्ता वा मिलान भएको छ। Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय
• Savings-and-credit cooperatives grew faster than supervision could keep up with. The High-Level Economic Reform Commission found that under the 2074 Act some savings-and-credit cooperatives opened branches in big cities across the country and, by taking advantage of gaps in regulation and supervision, mobilised savings and lent against cooperative principles; all those that became problematic had lent heavily, directly or indirectly, in land, with no single-borrower limit, large shares of loans to one person, and companies admitted as members. The IMF reported continuing failures due to inadequate governance and lack of regulation, causing loss or freezing of savings, with SACCO deposits about one-twelfth of bank deposits and a risk of contagion to small banks. The 2083 amendment has since added per-member savings and loan limits (Section 52) and licensing (Section 16A).सुपरिवेक्षणले धान्न नसक्ने गरी बचत तथा ऋण सहकारीको विस्तार भयो। उच्चस्तरीय आर्थिक सुधार सुझाव आयोगका अनुसार सहकारी ऐन, २०७४ को व्यवस्थाअनुसार कतिपय बचत तथा ऋण सहकारीले देशका ठूला सहरमा शाखा खोले, र नियमन र सुपरिवेक्षणमा रहेका कमीको फाइदा उठाई सहकारी सिद्धान्तविपरीत बचत सङ्कलन र ऋण लगानी गरे; समस्याग्रस्त बनेका सबै सहकारीले प्रत्यक्ष वा अप्रत्यक्ष रूपमा जग्गामा अत्यधिक लगानी गरेका, एकल ऋण सीमा नभएको, एकै व्यक्तिलाई ऋणको ठूलो हिस्सा दिइएको र कम्पनीलाई सदस्य बनाइएको थियो। अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मुद्रा कोषले अपर्याप्त सुशासन र नियमनको अभावले बचत तथा ऋण सहकारी असफल हुँदै गएको, बचत डुबेको वा रोक्का भएको, यिनको निक्षेप बैङ्कको करिब बाह्र भागको एक भाग रहेको र साना बैङ्कसम्म जोखिम सर्न सक्ने उल्लेख गरेको छ। २०८३ को संशोधनले दफा ५२ मा सदस्यको बचत र ऋणको सीमा र दफा १६क मा इजाजतपत्रको व्यवस्था थपेको छ। High-Level Economic Reform Commission (2025)उच्चस्तरीय आर्थिक सुधार सुझाव आयोग (२०८१) High-Level Economic Reform Commission · International Monetary Fund HLERC, chapter on cooperatives, paras 2–3, printed p. 136 (PDF p. 203), and economic-slowdown chapter paras 16–17, printed p. 55 (PDF p. 122); IMF Country Report No. 25/66, staff report para 21, printed p. 15 (PDF p. 19); Act ss. 16A and 52, pp. 16–17, 51
• Most cooperatives do not pay into the Cooperative Promotion Fund. Section 70(2) requires every cooperative to pay 0.5% of its annual net surplus (after the reserve fund) into the Fund. The Auditor General found in two successive years that most of the country's cooperatives (31,450 in 2080/81; 32,965 in 2081/82) had not paid in. The Fund secretariat records lump-sum income from bank statements without collecting details, so it cannot tell which cooperatives have paid; Rs 141.4 million was held in the Fund's three bank accounts, and the Fund's accounts had not been audited.धेरैजसो सहकारीले सहकारी प्रवर्द्धन कोषमा रकम जम्मा गर्दैनन्। दफा ७०(२) अनुसार हरेक सहकारीले जगेडा कोषमा छुट्याएपछि बाँकी खुद बचतको ०.५ प्रतिशत रकम कोषमा जम्मा गर्नुपर्छ। महालेखापरीक्षकले लगातार दुई वर्ष देशभरका अधिकांश सहकारीले (२०८०/८१ मा ३१,४५० र २०८१/८२ मा ३२,९६५ मध्ये) कोषमा रकम जम्मा नगरेको पाएको छ। कोष सचिवालयले सहकारीबाट विवरण नलिई बैङ्क स्टेटमेन्टका आधारमा एकमुष्ट आम्दानी जनाउने गरेकाले कुन सहकारीले रकम जम्मा गर्‍यो भन्ने यकिन हुँदैन; कोषका तीन बैङ्क खातामा रु. १४ करोड १३ लाख ६९ हजार मौज्दात छ र कोषको लेखापरीक्षण भएको छैन। Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय · Ministry of Law OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 16, printed pp. 295–296 (PDF pp. 327–328); OAG 62nd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 16, printed p. 339 (PDF p. 369); Act s. 70, pp. 60–61
• Anti-money-laundering rules for cooperatives are not enforced. Section 150A requires cooperatives to follow anti-money-laundering directives. Of 71 cooperatives the Department monitored in 2081/82, 23 had no procedures, had not filed threshold transaction reports, or had not assessed risk. In the previous year the Auditor General found that the 2074 directive allowed fines of Rs 1 million to Rs 50 million and even deregistration for non-compliance, but the Department had imposed no fines and had not followed up on cooperatives found failing to classify members by risk or file suspicious-transaction reports.सहकारीमा सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणसम्बन्धी नियम लागू भएका छैनन्। दफा १५०क ले सहकारीलाई सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणसम्बन्धी निर्देशन पालना गर्नुपर्ने व्यवस्था गरेको छ। विभागले २०८१/८२ मा अनुगमन गरेका ७१ मध्ये २३ संस्थाले कार्यविधि नबनाएको, सीमा कारोबार प्रतिवेदन नपठाएको वा जोखिम पहिचान र मूल्याङ्कन नगरेको देखियो। अघिल्लो वर्ष महालेखापरीक्षकले २०७४ को निर्देशनले पालना नगर्नेलाई दश लाखदेखि पाँच करोड रुपैयाँसम्म जरिबाना र दर्ता खारेजसम्म गर्न सकिने व्यवस्था गरे पनि विभागले जरिबाना नगरेको र सदस्यको जोखिम वर्गीकरण नगर्ने वा शङ्कास्पद कारोबार प्रतिवेदन नपठाउने संस्थाको निरन्तर अनुगमन नगरेको पाएको थियो। Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय · Ministry of Law OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 42, printed pp. 307–308 (PDF pp. 339–340); OAG 62nd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 33, printed p. 346 (PDF p. 376); Act s. 150A, pp. 144–146
• The national cooperative information system is largely unused. The Cooperative Regulation requires larger cooperatives to keep records in the Department's electronic system (COPOMIS). Of 32,965 registered cooperatives, 19,348 (58.69%) had entered data only once and only 13,553 (41.11%) entered aggregate data in 2081/82; the previous year's figures were similar (18,677 and 13,335 of 31,450). The High-Level Economic Reform Commission also found that, with cooperatives split among the three levels of government, no integrated data on cooperatives is available.राष्ट्रिय सहकारी सूचना प्रणाली धेरैजसो प्रयोगमा छैन। सहकारी नियमावलीले ठूला सहकारीले विभागको विद्युतीय प्रणाली (कोपोमिस) मा अभिलेख राख्नुपर्ने व्यवस्था गरेको छ। दर्ता भएका ३२,९६५ सहकारीमध्ये १९,३४८ (५८.६९ प्रतिशत) ले एक पटक मात्र तथ्याङ्क प्रविष्ट गरेका र २०८१/८२ मा १३,५५३ (४१.११ प्रतिशत) ले मात्र समष्टिगत विवरण प्रविष्ट गरेका छन्; अघिल्लो वर्षको अवस्था पनि उस्तै थियो (३१,४५० मध्ये १८,६७७ र १३,३३५)। सहकारी तीन तहमा बाँडिएपछि एकीकृत तथ्याङ्क उपलब्ध हुन नसकेको उच्चस्तरीय आर्थिक सुधार सुझाव आयोगले पनि उल्लेख गरेको छ। Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय · High-Level Economic Reform Commission OAG 63rd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 39, printed p. 307 (PDF p. 339); OAG 62nd Annual Report, MoLMCPA chapter, para 32, printed p. 346 (PDF p. 376); HLERC chapter on cooperatives, para 1, printed p. 136 (PDF p. 203)

Which level of government is responsible?

The Constitution divides powers among the three levels of government in five lists: federal (Schedule 5), provincial (Schedule 6), shared by the federation and provinces (Schedule 7), local (Schedule 8) and shared by all three (Schedule 9). Each pillar page lists the items that cover it, in the words of the Law Commission's English translation.संविधानले तीन तहका सरकारबीच अधिकार पाँच सूचीमा बाँडेको छ: सङ्घ (अनुसूची ५), प्रदेश (अनुसूची ६), सङ्घ र प्रदेशको साझा (अनुसूची ७), स्थानीय तह (अनुसूची ८) र तीनै तहको साझा (अनुसूची ९)। हरेक आधारस्तम्भको पृष्ठमा त्यससँग सम्बन्धित सूचीका बुँदा दिइएका छन्।

Laws and institutions

• Cooperatives Act, 2074सहकारी ऐन, २०७४: Registration and regulation of cooperatives.सहकारीको दर्ता र नियमन।

Each law page sets out what the law says and the gaps, conflicts and loopholes we have documented in it.

Who runs it

• National Cooperative Regulatory Authority; local governmentsराष्ट्रिय सहकारी नियमन प्राधिकरण; स्थानीय सरकार: Regulation of cooperatives (most are registered locally).सहकारी नियमन (धेरैजसो स्थानीय तहमा दर्ता हुन्छन्)।

What the budget and government plans say

• Budget 2083/84: strengthen the National Cooperative Regulatory Authority's monitoring and regulation of cooperatives that mainly do savings-and-credit business, and continue refunds to depositors of problematic cooperatives through an Integrated Depositor Protection Fund, a revolving fund to be repaid from cooperative savings and the sale of cooperative assets (para 60(g)-(h)).बजेट २०८३/८४: मुख्यतः बचत तथा ऋण कारोबार गर्ने सहकारी संस्थाको अनुगमन र नियमनमा राष्ट्रिय सहकारी नियमन प्राधिकरणको भूमिका सुदृढ गर्ने, र समस्याग्रस्त सहकारीका बचतकर्तालाई रकम फिर्ता गर्ने प्रक्रिया एकीकृत बचतकर्ता संरक्षण कोष (सहकारीको बचत र सम्पत्ति बिक्रीबाट शोधभर्ना हुने चक्रीय कोष) मार्फत जारी राख्ने (अनुच्छेद ६०(छ)-(ज))। Ministry of Financeअर्थ मन्त्रालय Para 60(g)-(h), p. 39

The full national budget →

What official reviews recommend

Recommendations are listed as their authors made them. Policy Nepal does not endorse them.

• Recover and settle depositors' claims in problematic cooperatives as the law requires, and repay depositors within the set time.कानूनबमोजिम समस्याग्रस्त सहकारीका बचतकर्ताको दाबी फिर्ता र मिलान गर्ने, र तोकिएको समयभित्र बचत रकम फिर्ता गर्ने। Office of the Auditor Generalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय Paras 18.3–18.4, printed p. 297
• Limit each savings-and-credit cooperative's working area to one local level; allow only natural persons as members; set a single-borrower limit (for now, total loans to one person not above 10% of share capital); ban buying land for resale; allow land loans only for a member without a house, up to 1,000 square metres; cap lending to one purpose or sector at 25% of total loans and the credit-deposit ratio at 90%; and cap savings and loans in locally based cooperatives at Rs 2.5 million. (The 2083 amendment has since set per-member loan and savings limits in Section 52; the other points should be checked against the current text.)बचत तथा ऋण सहकारीको कार्यक्षेत्र एउटा स्थानीय तहभन्दा बढी हुन नदिने; प्राकृतिक व्यक्ति मात्र सदस्य हुन पाउने; एकल ऋण सीमा तोक्ने (तत्कालका लागि एक व्यक्तिलाई दिइने कुल ऋण शेयर पुँजीको १० प्रतिशतभन्दा बढी नहुने); बिक्री गर्ने उद्देश्यले जग्गा किन्न रोक लगाउने; घर नभएका सदस्यलाई १,००० वर्गमिटरसम्म मात्र जग्गा किन्न ऋण दिन पाउने; एकै उद्देश्य वा क्षेत्रमा कुल ऋणको २५ प्रतिशतभन्दा बढी लगानी गर्न नपाउने र कर्जा–निक्षेप अनुपात बढीमा ९० प्रतिशत राख्ने; र स्थानीय कार्यक्षेत्र भएका सहकारीमा बचत र ऋणको सीमा २५ लाख रुपैयाँ तोक्ने। (२०८३ को संशोधनले दफा ५२ मा सदस्यको बचत र ऋणको सीमा तोकिसकेको छ; अन्य बुँदा हालको ऐनसँग भिडाउनुपर्छ।) High-Level Economic Reform Commission · Ministry of Law HLERC chapter on cooperatives, recommendations (4) and (8)–(13), printed pp. 137–138 (PDF pp. 204–205); summary paras 152 and 156–161, printed pp. XXV–XXVI (PDF pp. 28–29); Act s. 52, p. 51
• Stop new cooperatives and new branches for now and close extra branches after settling accounts; have the Department of Cooperatives work with the National Statistics Office to collect detailed data; build local governments' capacity to supervise cooperatives; give the committee resolving problematic cooperatives enough staff; and provide government funds, to be recovered later from the cooperatives' assets, to repay small depositors (up to Rs 500,000) quickly.तत्कालका लागि नयाँ सहकारी र शाखा खोल्न रोक्ने र एकभन्दा बढी शाखा भएकालाई हिसाब मिलाई शाखा बन्द गर्न लगाउने; सहकारी विभागले राष्ट्रिय तथ्याङ्क कार्यालयसँग मिलेर विस्तृत तथ्याङ्क सङ्कलन गर्ने; स्थानीय तहको नियमन र सुपरिवेक्षण क्षमता बढाउने; समस्याग्रस्त सहकारी समस्या समाधान समितिलाई पर्याप्त जनशक्ति दिने; र पछि सहकारीको सम्पत्तिबाट असुल गर्ने गरी सरकारले रकम उपलब्ध गराई पाँच लाख रुपैयाँसम्मका साना बचतकर्ताको बचत तुरुन्त फिर्ता गर्ने। High-Level Economic Reform Commission Chapter on cooperatives, recommendations (1)–(3) and (5)–(6), printed p. 137 (PDF p. 204); interim recommendations, para 9(ch), printed p. IX (PDF p. 12)

Related public issues

• Economic modelआर्थिक मोडेल

Questions to ask of any proposal

• Does the proposal protect ordinary savers, including members of cooperatives, if an institution fails?कुनै संस्था असफल भएमा प्रस्तावले सहकारी सदस्यसहित सामान्य बचतकर्ताको संरक्षण गर्छ कि गर्दैन?
• Which level of government will supervise it, and does that office have the staff and records to do so?कुन तहको सरकारले यसको सुपरिवेक्षण गर्छ, र त्यस निकायसँग त्यसका लागि कर्मचारी र अभिलेख छन् कि छैनन्?
• How will savers in cooperatives already declared problematic be repaid, by when, and from what money?समस्याग्रस्त घोषित सहकारीका बचतकर्तालाई कसरी, कहिलेसम्म र कुन रकमबाट फिर्ता गरिन्छ?

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How we know this

1. Nepal Law Commission (Government of Nepal)नेपाल कानून आयोग: The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments) Checked 2026-10-11
2. Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Nepalकानून, न्याय तथा संसदीय मामिला मन्त्रालय: सहकारी ऐन, २०७४ (Cooperatives Act, 2074) — consolidated Nepali text Checked 2026-10-11
3. Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepalअर्थ मन्त्रालय: Economic Survey 2025/26 (English unofficial translation of आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण २०८२/८३) Checked 2026-10-11
4. Office of the Auditor General, Nepalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय: महालेखापरीक्षकको त्रिसट्ठीऔँ वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन, २०८३ (63rd Annual Report of the Auditor General, 2083; audit of FY 2081/82) Checked 2026-10-11
5. High-Level Economic Reform Commission (उच्चस्तरीय आर्थिक सुधार सुझाव आयोग), submitted to the Ministry of Finance: उच्चस्तरीय आर्थिक सुधार सुझाव आयोगको प्रतिवेदन: आर्थिक सुधारको मार्गचित्र Checked 2026-10-11
6. International Monetary Fund: Nepal: Fifth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Request for Modification of a Performance Criterion — Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Nepal (IMF Country Report No. 25/66) Checked 2026-10-11
7. Office of the Auditor General, Nepalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय: महालेखापरीक्षकको त्रिसट्ठीऔँ वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन, २०८३ (63rd Annual Report of the Auditor General, 2083) — chapter on the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (incl. Department of Cooperatives) Checked 2026-10-11
8. Office of the Auditor General, Nepalमहालेखा परीक्षकको कार्यालय: महालेखापरीक्षकको बासट्ठीऔँ वार्षिक प्रतिवेदन, २०८२ (62nd Annual Report of the Auditor General, 2082) — chapter on the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (incl. Department of Cooperatives) Checked 2026-10-11
9. Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepalअर्थ मन्त्रालय: Budget Speech for Fiscal Year 2026/27 (2083/84), English unofficial translation Checked 2026-10-11
10. Nepal Law Commission (Government of Nepal)नेपाल कानून आयोग: The Constitution of Nepal (English translation, incl. first and second amendments): Schedules 5–9 Checked 2026-10-18

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