Kathmandu, Feb. 18 -- The government is exploring options to have the country's sovereign credit rating determined with the objective of borrowing funds from the international bond markets and creating a benchmark for foreign investors to evaluate investment risk. The government had wanted to obtain the sovereign credit rating ahead of next month's investment summit, but it has given up on the idea for now as it takes months for rating agencies to initiate the analysis for the first time.

A good and stable sovereign credit rating indicates that Nepal's macro economy is on a sound footing, the policies are credible and competitive, and that its institutional, political and governance regimes are trustworthy and predictable. This will even...