Banking sector employees are frustrated, problems increasing as NRB becomes helpless

६ जेष्ठ २०८३, बुधबार १७:२८May 20, 2026

. Pitambar Khadka, 42, of Laxmi Marg Tole in Damak of Jhapa was found hanging from the ceiling fan on the ground floor of his house on Sunday evening.

Khadka, who works under Global IME Bank’s Koshi Province, posted on Facebook with a picture of four senior managers including the CEO of the bank.TAG_OPEN_div_111

Nirajan Devkota, branch chief of Hetauda branch of Nepal Investment Mega Bank, committed suicide by jumping into the Trishuli River on September 3, 2080.TAG_OPEN_div_109

After the merger, there was a lot of talk about constant pressure on him in the name of debt research. During the preliminary investigation conducted by the Dhading police, it was found that he might have taken such a step due to pressure from the bank. According to eyewitnesses, he was returning from the bank’s central office in Kathmandu when he jumped off the motorbike.

These two public incidents are representative. According to the employees working in the banking sector, many employees in the bank are currently working under mental pressure, stress. Some are leaving the profession and some are in a state of depression.

Jobs in the banking sector are also considered as ‘glamour jobs’. Good salary, attractive facilities, loans at almost the base rate to buy a house and car, neat commuting, very attractive from the outside. However, in recent times, the job of the employees of the banking sector is as lucrative as it is to the outside, but inside it is in the midst of many times more challenges.

} “The goals given by the higher level, pressure at work, mental pressure, physical fatigue in the midst of work, various other stresses, and stress management training for the bank employees?” asked the head of a branch of a bank.

This question is not only for the branch head of a bank, but also for the employees of most banks and financial institutions.TAG_OPEN_div_100

Similarly, employees of Global IME Bank Khadka and Devkota of Nepal Investment Mega Bank have been coming to the fore for similar incidents.TAG_OPEN_div_98

Experts argue that employees take such unpleasant decisions from time to time due to the mental pressure, management pressure, unnatural pressure of the target, etc., hidden in the banking sector for a long time.

Employees of various banks say that such issues cannot be ignored in recent cases.

The Nepal Financial Institutions Employees Association has expressed sorrow over the statement saying that Sunday’s incident has shocked the employees of the banks and financial institutions.TAG_OPEN_div_94 After this incident came to light, there is a difference of opinion on social media.

Employees of various banks portray this incident not only as the death of one person, but also as a sign of a crisis that is silently escalating within the banking sector.TAG_OPEN_div_92 As a result, the trend of migration from this profession is also increasing. “There is a shortage of employees below 30 years of age in the banking sector,” says a banker. ”

Once upon a time, Nepal’s banking sector was considered a symbol of prestige, stability and a secure future.TAG_OPEN_div_90 There was a belief in society that “getting a job in a bank made a life”. For many young people, banking jobs were more lucrative than abroad. But now the situation has changed, the banker said.

} “Earlier, I thought that if I could get a job in a bank, why should I go to America or Australia,” says the banker, “Now it is scary to stay in the banking sector.” “One of the biggest problems for employees right now is the excessive pressure from management. “Instructions come from above to meet the target by any means. If the goal is not met, there is a fear of humiliation, poor evaluation, transfer or career crisis,” he says.

“We talk about whether you work or quit your job,” said another bank employee. If the CEO calls you to the office, you don’t know what to hear. ”

{{TAG_OPEN_div_84} Employees feel that the merger between banks and financial institutions in recent years has further complicated the problem. Employees from different work cultures have become uncomfortable in the same organization. The employee says that the group’s mindset of “this is my man, that is your man” has added division and insecurity in the office.

According to Shiva Hari Bhandari, vice-president of Nepal Financial Institutions Employees Association (FIUN), the banking sector is currently going through multi-dimensional stress.TAG_OPEN_div_82 He says that the economic slowdown, the pressure of bad loans, the impact of mergers, rising inflation and the pressure of targets are making the employees mentally weak.

} The banking sector is also under pressure to recover bad loans. Banks are now struggling to raise loans because they have been aggressively investing in the past. Bhandari believes that the direct pressure is on the employees working in the field.

} “Yesterday, the employees of the bank were asked to invest the loan by any means, today the employees have been sent to collect the same loan,” says an employee. I have to work for fear of being beaten. In some places, bank employees have been beaten up and smeared with soot. ”

TAG_OPEN_div_76 In some cases, employees have to face social humiliation and abuse while recovering loans. According to the employees, the work-life balance in the banking sector has almost disappeared. Employees are also called to work on Saturdays, public holidays.

“We don’t get time off or give time to the family,” says one employee, “Even if a small technical mistake is made while working under constant stress, they are treated like thieves.” He says that employees dealing in cash are under more mental pressure.

According to the

staff, the problem is not limited to this. There is no free and safe environment inside the bank to express their grievances. “Fear that if I complain to the management, I will be targeted,” one employee wrote on social media without naming himself. The increasing number of such incidents is due to the weakness of the top management of the bank as much as the weakness of the regulatory body i.e. Nepal Rastra Bank.

The employees of the bank claim that all these incidents are happening due to the helplessness of the Nepal Rastra Bank and the direct contact with the top management of the officials who come for inspection from the NRB.TAG_OPEN_div_70 According to them, the NRB has not paid attention to the mental state of the employees, workplace culture and human resource management while paying attention only to the financial condition of the banks, the profit and bad loans of the banks.

TAG_OPEN_div_68″The employees of the Rastra Bank come and take notes,” says a bank employee, “Later there is a meeting with the management and everything cools down.” The problem of the employees remains the same. He alleged that some employees were also under the influence of the management. According to him, there is a tendency to align with the management rather than protecting the employees who raise the real problem.

The employees demand that the regulatory body should be able to manage such problems. “The government bodies are also not active, the Rastra Bank has not paid attention to this,” said an employee of a bank. The CEO and the management tell you to meet the target. If there is no working environment, it is difficult to complete. ”

According to him, “It is the NRB that monitors.TAG_OPEN_div_64 However, the central bank has become helpless in this. The employees of the Rastra Bank listen to the CEO of the bank, they do not listen to the employees of the bank. ”

} Employees say, “NRB employees come, write problem notes and take them away. But they forget to implement it. A few unions take this problem to the Rastra Bank. The Rastra Bank influences those who carry such things. The employees and CEOs of the Rastra Bank, who know how to appeal together, give jobs to a few people instead. This has led to conflict in the banking sector. ”

He added, “The most weak regulation is that of the Rastra Bank.TAG_OPEN_div_60 It is not that the NRB is unaware of the problems of the employees. They come, they take notes. Then he goes and holds 2-4 meetings with the bosses. After that, what they agree on disappears. ”