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Nepal Rastra Bank has directed banks and financial institutions to make clean Rs 100 notes available through compatible automated teller machines during the festival season. OnlineKhabar published the report at 2:23 pm Nepal time on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Some institutions have already started using newer ATM models for the distribution. The measure gives customers another way to obtain usable notes ahead of Dashain without depending entirely on a special exchange counter or a separate festival queue.
The central bank has not announced that every ATM in Nepal will dispense Rs 100 notes. The source says newer machines at some banks and financial institutions are being used, which means availability can differ by institution, branch, machine configuration and remaining stock. Customers should therefore treat the arrangement as an expanded distribution channel rather than a guarantee at every location. The report does not list participating banks or identify specific ATMs, and it does not change the normal withdrawal limits set by individual institutions.
NRB spokesperson Gurus Prasad Paudel said crisp and clean notes have been distributed since September 17 through the central bank’s Thapathali office, its provincial offices and commercial banks. He distinguished that routine currency management from a major publicity campaign for festival notes. The central bank is continuing the exchange service while keeping its public messaging restrained after the Bhotekoshi flood caused serious loss at the beginning of the festival period. This context explains why customers may find the service without seeing the type of broad festival announcement used in earlier years.
The update also reflects a longer change in currency policy. Paudel said NRB has gradually tried during the past four or five years to reduce the practice of placing entirely new notes into circulation specifically for festivals. Clean notes can include fit currency already in the system, while brand new notes have not previously circulated. For ordinary users, both can serve the practical purpose of festival payments and tika gifts, but the distinction matters when describing the policy. The current report concerns access to crisp and clean notes, not a promise that every note will be newly printed.
Currency demand normally rises around Dashain as people travel, shop, settle payments and prepare cash gifts. Paudel reported that currency in circulation stood at Rs 794 billion through September 16 and estimated that the amount could increase by about eight to ten percent during Dashain. Applying that range to the published figure suggests an additional circulation requirement of roughly Rs 63.5 billion to Rs 79.4 billion. That calculation illustrates the scale of seasonal demand, but it is an estimate based on NRB’s stated range rather than a confirmed final issuance total.
NRB’s Currency Management Department is responsible for issuing notes and coins, maintaining an adequate supply for the payment system, exchanging notes and separating fit currency from damaged or unfit notes. The ATM direction fits within those routine functions. It does not replace digital payments, require customers to withdraw cash or alter the legal value of existing notes. People who use the service should follow their bank’s normal security practices, protect their personal identification number and count cash privately rather than asking strangers for assistance at a machine.
The confirmed October 7 development is that clean Rs 100 notes are becoming easier to obtain through selected ATMs and existing bank exchange channels. Readers should check their own bank for machine availability, withdrawal conditions and operating hours. They should also avoid claims that all machines have been converted or that NRB has announced a compulsory nationwide rollout, because the reviewed sources do not support either statement. The arrangement is a practical festival service within the central bank’s broader effort to manage seasonal cash demand and reduce unnecessary replacement of usable currency.
Source publication date: 2026-10-07. Event or reporting period: 2026-10-07.
Sources:OnlineKhabar English · Nepal Rastra Bank Currency Management Department
Source: GPT News Feed
