The Nepali American Business & Investment Summit has been postponed from September to November, with organizers now planning the three-day event for Nov. 20–22 in New York.
The summit, known as NABIS 2026, will be held at the JFK Marriott and is being organized by the Greater New York Nepali Chamber of Commerce with support from the Consulate General of Nepal in New York. The organizers say the event is intended to strengthen trade, investment, entrepreneurship and economic cooperation between Nepal and the United States.
The summit was originally scheduled for Sept. 25–27. Its official website now lists Nov. 20–22 as the new dates.
The organizers are positioning NABIS as more than a networking event. Its stated programme includes investor-founder meetings, business-to-business and business-to-government meetings, startup pitches, investment discussions and sessions on technology, artificial intelligence, trade and cross-border investment.
The main summit day, Nov. 21, is scheduled to include discussions on Nepal's investment environment, trade and capital flows, technology and artificial intelligence, and how businesses can expand from local markets to international markets. A business matchmaking programme is planned for Nov. 22.
The organizers say they expect more than 500 participants, 30 speakers and more than 20 industry leaders. Those figures are projections from the organizers, rather than independently verified attendance numbers.
The programme also includes a startup pitch component. Selected technology startups were invited to present their businesses to investors and strategic partners. Applications for the pitch and product-demo programme closed on Aug. 22, according to the summit's FAQ.
The speaker list includes Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, along with business and financial-sector figures including Suraj Vaidya and Suman Raj Timsina. The organizer's website describes government and business leaders from Nepal and the United States as invited participants.
For Nepali-American entrepreneurs, the more significant question is whether the summit produces concrete business relationships rather than simply another diaspora networking event.
The organizers say their objectives include connecting businesses with capital, identifying partners and markets, and creating opportunities for joint ventures between Nepal and the United States. They also plan curated meetings between businesses, investors, government representatives and potential strategic partners.
That focus reflects the growing economic role of Nepali entrepreneurs in the United States. The Greater New York Nepali Chamber of Commerce says it works with Nepali-owned and affiliated businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals through networking, advocacy and business education.
The summit also has a broader Nepal angle. Organizers want to use the US-based Nepali business community as a bridge to investment in Nepal, including sectors such as technology, tourism, hydropower, agriculture, infrastructure and startups.
Whether NABIS can turn those ambitions into measurable investment will depend on what happens after the conference.
For Nepali-American business owners, the practical value of the November event will ultimately be measured not by the number of speakers on stage, but by whether participants leave with customers, investors, financing, partnerships or a viable route into the Nepal market.
