Sanima Bank Limited

Sanima Bank Limited is a Class 'A' commercial bank licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank. It was founded on 6 December 2004 as a national-level development bank and was upgraded to full commercial bank status in 2012. It is notable for having been promoted largely by non-resident Nepali investors, and for a loan book weighted towards hydropower and small business lending.

Sanima began life as a development bank at a time when Nepal's diaspora was starting to invest seriously in the domestic financial sector. Its promoter group is made up substantially of non-resident Nepalis, which distinguished it from the business-house ownership typical of other private banks of the period.

Nepal Rastra Bank licensed it to operate as an 'A' class commercial bank in 2012. The promoter group holds 51 percent of shares and the general public 49 percent, and by the 2022/23 financial year the bank reported paid-up capital of about Rs 13.58 billion. Its shares are listed on the Nepal Stock Exchange.

The bank maintains a diversified loan portfolio with notable concentrations in hydropower projects, small and medium enterprises, agriculture, housing and corporate finance. Hydropower lending in particular has been a long-standing part of its business, reflecting the sector's importance in Nepal's economy and the appetite of its diaspora shareholder base for infrastructure investment.

Sanima operates more than a hundred full-fledged branches along with around 28 extension counters and an ATM network covering all seven provinces. Its head office is at Alakapuri in Naxal, Kathmandu, with valley branches at New Baneshwor, Kalanki, Maharajgunj, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, and regional coverage in Pokhara, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Hetauda, Dharan, Itahari and Dhangadhi.

International transfers, trade settlement and inward remittance run through SWIFT code SNMANPKA, with correspondent banking relationships supporting foreign currency payments for importers, exporters and remittance customers.