If you've been shortlisted in IEDI's Startup Enterprise Loan preliminary list, you've cleared the most competitive stage — in the most recent cycle, roughly 1 in 8 of the 10,244 applications received made it this far (Kathmandu Post). But the preliminary list is not a loan approval. In that same cycle, only 966 of the 1,301–1,298 preliminarily shortlisted projects survived to final selection (OnlineKhabar) — meaning roughly a quarter dropped out, almost entirely over missed steps and deadlines, not weak business ideas.
Before you read the numbers below
The figures and deadlines in this article describe the most recently completed cycle (results published May–July 2026). Application windows, forms, and deadlines are republished every fiscal year — always confirm the exact current deadline on iedi.gov.np rather than assuming last year's dates apply.
What Being on the Preliminary List Actually Means
The Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), under Nepal's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, runs the Startup Enterprise Loan — a collateral-free, subsidized loan program (3% interest in the most recent cycle) for early-stage Nepali businesses. The preliminary list confirms your application passed the initial screening. What follows is a second, document-and-evidence-based round that decides who actually gets recommended to a bank.
Deadline warning
Miss the submission window and your project is automatically rejected — no exceptions, no reminders.
Step 1: Submit Your Business Details Form on Time
In the most recent cycle, applicants had 7 days from the notice date — specifically by 5:00 PM on the deadline day — to:
- Open the link sent via SMS, or go directly to iedi.gov.np
- Download the prescribed business-details evaluation format
- Fill it in completely and clearly
- Submit it via WhatsApp to the number published in the official notice
Projects that missed this window were automatically rejected — this was stated explicitly in the notice, not a soft deadline (Technology Khabar).
Step 2: Prepare for Field Evaluation, Not a Paid Presentation
The evaluation process changed this cycle: instead of requiring applicants to travel for in-person presentations, IEDI began accepting field inspection details from the enterprise development facilitation unit of your local government — including photos and videos of the actual business (Kathmandu Post). Of the 1,298 preliminarily listed projects, 1,156 went on to submit this additional material (OnlineKhabar) — meaning over 140 dropped out at this stage alone. Coordinate with your local government's enterprise facilitation unit early; don't wait for them to reach out first.
Step 3: If Finally Selected, Contact Your Assigned Bank Within 3 Days
Final selection (966 projects in the most recent cycle) isn't the end — it's a bank recommendation, not a disbursed loan. Selected applicants had to contact their assigned bank branch within 3 days of the results being published, with:
- Business registration certificate — including renewal, certified copy
- PAN/VAT registration proof
- Citizenship certificate — full copy
- Income tax clearance certificate — for the relevant fiscal year
- Passport-size photo — from an authorized person/photographer
Source: Jibiko, OnlineKhabar
Consequence of missing the window
IEDI's own notice states that after the end of Ashar (the last month of the fiscal year), unclaimed project recommendations "automatically become inactive." There's no rollover — miss the window and you start over next cycle.
Step 4: Confirm You're Actually Eligible Before You Celebrate
A late-stage disqualification risk many applicants overlook: anyone who received a previous subsidized/concessional startup loan and hasn't repaid it is ineligible, even after being shortlisted (OnlineKhabar). Other disqualifying conditions from the governing procedure include:
- The enterprise is registered as a formal "industry" under existing industrial law
- The business is primarily import/distribution rather than production or service innovation
- The business is blacklisted, or is a holding/investment company
- The enterprise was registered after the procedure's publication date, or is an extension/branch of an existing business
- Turnover exceeds the program's revenue ceiling, or the enterprise has been operating 10+ years
Source: OnlineKhabar
Quick Reference: The Full Pipeline
- Applications received: 10,244
- Preliminary list: ~1,298–1,301
- Submitted field evaluation materials: 1,156
- Finally selected: 966
- Bank contact deadline after selection: 3 days
- Loan cap (most recent cycle): up to Rs 2,000,000
- Interest rate: 3%
FAQ
What is the IEDI Startup Loan?
A government-backed, collateral-free loan for early-stage Nepali enterprises, administered by the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
I'm on the preliminary list — what's the very first thing I should do?
Check iedi.gov.np and your phone/SMS immediately for the business-details submission link and its exact deadline — historically a 7-day window with automatic rejection if missed.
What documents do I need if I'm finally selected?
Business registration and renewal certificate, PAN/VAT proof, full citizenship certificate copy, income tax clearance certificate, and a recent passport-size photo — required within days of final selection, not weeks.
Can I apply again if I received this loan before?
Up to Rs 2,000,000 at 3% interest, collateral-free, in the most recently completed cycle. Confirm the current cycle's cap, as it has changed between fiscal years (previously up to Rs 2,500,000).
Everything that disqualifies applicants at this stage — the WhatsApp submission, the field-evaluation coordination, the 3-day bank contact window — is a deadline or a document, not a weakness in the business idea. Track the official IEDI notice daily, keep your paperwork ready before you're asked, and treat every stated deadline as final.
This article reflects the most recently completed IEDI Startup Enterprise Loan cycle; always verify current-year deadlines and figures directly at iedi.gov.np before acting.