Nepal operates a prior-approval screening regime for foreign direct investment and certain foreign acquisitions under the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 2019 (FITTA). Under Section 15(1), a foreign investor must apply to the competent approving authority before making an investment, and, upon completion of the prescribed documentation, approval must be issued within seven days (Section 15(2)). The Act allocates approval competence by investment size, with the Department of Industry (DOI) responsible for investments up to NPR 6 billion (approx. USD 39.6 million) and the Investment Board Nepal responsible for investments above that threshold (Section 17).
Amendments adopted in March 2025 further introduced a requirement for prior approval before a foreign investor may sell or transfer, in whole or in part, its equity to domestic parties.
In addition, Section 3(3) of the FITTA also prohibits foreign investment below a minimum amount to be set by Government notice. The minimum FDI threshold is reported to have been set at NPR 20 million (approx. USD 132,000) under the FY 2079/80 (2022) budget framework, replacing the previously applied NPR 50 million threshold.
However, it is reported that, for foreign investment below NPR 500 million in designated sectors, an online “automatic route” has operated since 2019 for the submission and approval of projects, and that no minimum threshold applies to IT-sector projects processed through this automatic route.

It is reported that Nepal lacks sufficient resources to maintain qualified patent examiners, and enforcement officials are not adequately trained. In addition, it is reported that insufficient fines do not deter patent infringement.

Nepal is not a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Nepal has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows the fair use model, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Art. 17 of the Copyright Act explicitly adopts the fair use model, allowing limited portions of a published work to be cited without the author's or copyright holder's authorisation, provided such use does not prejudice their economic rights. In such cases, the source and author’s name (if indicated) must be appropriately credited. Arts. 18–23 of the Copyright Act outline additional exceptions, including reproduction for personal use, educational purposes, or use by libraries and archives, as well as reproduction, broadcasting, or communication of works for public information purposes, among others.

It is reported that protecting intellectual property rights remains a significant challenge in Nepal, as existing laws and regulations are outdated and ineffective, and enforcement is inconsistent. This situation is further compounded by difficulties in preventing the sale of digital media.

Nepal has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Nepal has not signed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Nepal is not a signatory of the 1996 World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) nor the 2015 expansion (ITA II).

According to Art. 15 of the Public Procurement Act, international bidding is used for public procurement only when goods cannot be procured at competitive prices, if no bid has been submitted in the national bid for procurement of goods and services, or if it is certified by a public entity that the goods to be procured are of a complex and special nature.

The National Payment Switch Bangladesh (NPSB) is an electronic platform established in December 2012 to facilitate interoperability among scheduled banks for card-based and online retail transactions. Foreign enterprises operating in the financial services and payment network sectors, such as Visa and Mastercard, have expressed concerns about their operations in the Bangladeshi market following the central bank’s implementation of a mandatory policy requiring all card transactions to be routed through the NPSB. They argue that this policy limits competition and raises security concerns, as the NPSB constitutes a single point of failure in the event of a system crash.

The Customs (De Minimis) Rules, as amended in May 2025, permit the duty-free importation of eligible low-value consignments, including non-commercial goods, samples, and other small consignments, with a maximum value of BDT 4,000 (approx. USD 40). This de minimis threshold remains lower than the USD 200 benchmark recommended by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Access to local domain names in Bangladesh is subject to documentation and eligibility requirements. The “.bd” country-code top-level domain is managed by the Posts and Telecommunications Division, while Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) is listed as the technical contact and operates the official registration service.
BTCL requires applicants seeking to register a “.bd” or “.বাংলা” domain name to create a profile and upload the applicable supporting documents. These may include a national identity card, a trade licence, approval or forwarding letters, or a certificate from the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms. Accordingly, access to local domain names is not fully unrestricted, as registration depends on compliance with domestic documentation and eligibility requirements.

The Consumers’ Right Protection Act provides a comprehensive framework for consumer protection that also applies to online transactions.