If you've been away from NEPSE for a few months, you might not have noticed a significant change: the exchange no longer follows its old Sunday-to-Thursday schedule. Since April 2026, NEPSE trades Monday through Friday, following the government's shift to a Saturday–Sunday weekend. Here's everything you need to know about the current trading hours and how to stay on top of market holidays.
What Changed: NEPSE's New Weekly Schedule
In April 2026, following the Government of Nepal's decision to implement a two-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday) for public offices, NEPSE revised its trading calendar to keep the exchange open five days a week — Monday through Friday — with the market now closed on both Saturday and Sunday.
This replaced the exchange's long-standing Sunday-to-Thursday schedule (with limited odd-lot trading on Fridays). Office hours on Friday were also extended to 5:00 PM to accommodate the full trading and settlement process within the day.
Current NEPSE Trading Hours (2026)
- Pre-Open Session: Roughly 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM — you can place, modify, or cancel orders, but no trades execute yet. This session determines the opening price.
- Regular Trading Session: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM — continuous trading with real-time order matching.
- Trading Days: Monday to Friday.
- Closed: Saturday and Sunday, plus government-declared public holidays.
All times are in Nepal Standard Time (UTC+5:45).
Why Does NEPSE Keep Changing Its Schedule?
This isn't the first time NEPSE has adjusted its calendar — it made a similar change roughly three years earlier during a previous temporary two-day weekend policy. Because NEPSE's trading days are tied to the government's official public office working days, any shift in the national weekend policy typically triggers a corresponding update to the stock market calendar. It's worth periodically checking official announcements, since this policy has shown a pattern of being revisited over time.
Public Holidays and Festival Closures
Beyond the weekly weekend, NEPSE also closes for government-declared public holidays and major festivals, including:
- Dashain — typically the longest closure of the year, spanning several days.
- Tihar (Deepawali) — another multi-day closure period.
- Nepali New Year and other Bikram Sambat calendar holidays.
- Constitution Day, Republic Day, and other national observances.
- Fiscal year-end (Ashad end), which may affect final trading and settlement days.
Because exact holiday dates shift each year based on the Nepali calendar and government notices, we recommend checking NEPSE's official website or a live-updated calendar source for the current year's exact closure dates rather than relying on a fixed list.
Why This Matters for Your Trading Plan
- Settlement timing: Since NEPSE runs on a T+2 settlement cycle, holidays and the new weekend push settlement dates further out — plan accordingly if you need funds or shares by a specific date.
- EDIS deadlines: If you sell shares right before a long holiday stretch, make sure to complete WACC and EDIS before the break to avoid a closeout penalty. See our guide: What Is a Closeout in NEPSE?
- Book closure planning: Dividend and bonus share eligibility depends on settlement completing before a company's book closure date — factor in weekend and holiday gaps when timing purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is NEPSE open on Fridays now?
Yes. Since the April 2026 schedule change, Friday is now a full trading day, unlike the earlier arrangement where only limited odd-lot trading occurred on Fridays.
Does the T+2 settlement cycle still apply under the new schedule?
Yes, the T+2 settlement mechanism itself hasn't changed — only the days on which the market is open have shifted.
Where can I check the exact holiday calendar for this year?
NEPSE's official website and CDSC notices are the most reliable sources, along with dedicated market calendar tools that update holiday listings regularly.
Conclusion
NEPSE now trades Monday through Friday, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays — a meaningful shift from its previous schedule. Since this policy has changed before and could change again, it's worth periodically confirming the current trading days directly from NEPSE's official announcements, especially around major national holiday policy discussions.
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