Nepal Finance Minister To Talk About Bilateral Opportunities At NDTV World Summit

Swarnim Wagle, Nepal's finance minister, economist and vice-chairperson of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), will speak at the NDTV World Summit 2026 in New Delhi on October 23.

He will speak at 11:15 am on Day 2 of the summit in a session titled “Proximity to Prosperity: The India-Nepal Opportunity”. The summit will be held on October 22 and 23.

Who is Dr Swarnim Wagle?

Wagle was born in 1974 in Bungkot, Gorkha, Nepal. He studied economics at the London School of Economics, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He later completed a master's degree in international development at Harvard University. He also earned a PhD in economics from the Australian National University.

Wagle was elected Member of Parliament (MP) from Tanahun-1 constituency for a second consecutive term in March 2026. He was also elected unopposed as vice-chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party at its first general convention. He now serves as Nepal's Finance Minister.

Before joining politics, Wagle worked with international organisations for over 25 years. He worked as a senior economist at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He also served as chief economic adviser at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. He has worked on development projects and policy issues in more than 20 countries.

Wagle joined Nepal's National Planning Commission in 2014. He served as a member and later became its vice-chairperson. He worked with the commission for three years between 2014 and 2018.

After a major earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, Wagle co-led a team that assessed the damage and the money needed to rebuild the country. He also led Nepal's team at the Third UN Conference on Financing for Development.

From 2002 to 2007, he co-led a UNDP programme focused on trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. The programme also worked on issues linked to World Trade Organization negotiations. He took up assignments with the Asian Development Bank in Manila and the International Trade Center in Geneva.

Wagle has written several reports and research papers on the economy, trade, investment and public policy. He co-authored the UNDP's 2013 Human Development Report, titled The Rise of the South. He also co-edited The Great Upheaval, published by Cambridge University Press in 2022. He was the South Asia editor of Harvard Asia Quarterly from around 1999 to 2000.

From 2019 to 2026, Wagle led the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), a policy research organisation based in Kathmandu. It was established in 1979. He is now its chairman emeritus. He has also served as a senator at Kathmandu University and has advised several non-profit organisations. He has been associated with the World Bank's South Asia Champions Group and the South Asia Regional Champions.

NDTV World Summit 2026

The NDTV World Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi on October 22 and 23. The summit will bring together political leaders, economists, policymakers and other global voices to discuss important issues facing India and the world.

The theme of the summit is “A World Between Orders”. The discussions will focus on changes in the global order, international relations, the world economy and the challenges facing countries.