Budget 2026-27: Audacious intent, uncertain delivery

Its three most visible ambitions—foreign investment, tech leadership and fiscal transformation—all face the same fundamental obstacle: weak institutional and bureaucratic capacity.

When Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle walked into a joint session of the Parliament on May 29, he bypassed the traditional red briefcase for a file made of handmade Nepali paper—signalling a departure from political tradition before he even uttered a word. He then delivered a curated story to pitch ambitious reforms that only a government with this scale of mandate can.