The government of Nepal has prepared itself to ban Telegram, a video-sharing social media app. The decision comes after concluding that the app was used in money laundering, scams, and other such unlawful activities.
The National Coordination Committee on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism, which is under the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, has initiated the process to block Telegram.
When will Nepal ban Telegram?
The government could block Telegram very soon. As of now, the committee has written a letter to the Communication Ministry to act on the app. Therefore, the ban could occur by the end of July, however, that might also take some time if it gets the ban in the first place.
The communication ministry spokesman, Gajendrakumar Thakur, confirmed the latest development. He said, “The letter has arrived, but rather than closing it now, it has been asked to investigate whether there has been any money laundering activity through it,” he said. “We will ask the Money Laundering Department, Nepal Police, and other agencies about that, and only then will we decide what to do.”
According to sources, in a recent meeting of the committee, Nepal Police Chief IGP (Inspector General of Police) Deepak Thapa briefed the committee about the increase in criminal activities, including fraud and money laundering via Telegram. Thakur says that a decision on this matter could be possible on Sunday, July 2025.
Also: Most popular apps in Nepal
Telegram faces another scrutiny
This is not an isolated occasion for Telegram to face such a scrutiny. A few months ago, Telegram faced a big notoriety after being drawn in a case in which F1Soft’s system was hacked to steal Rs 30.5 million from Citizens Bank. The very issue was raised at the committee discussion, Onlinekhabar reports. Therefore, the app could find itself in hot water for these and other reasons.
In August 2024, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov himself was arrested in France on accusations of involvement in illegal transactions, drug trafficking, fraud, and other illicit activities. He was later released on bail.
The app is hugely popular among the youth who use it for business and video-sharing among family and friends. It’s also used for news sharing. However, it’s caught the eye of the law-enforcement authorities for possible use by users in abuse, scams, drug smuggling, etc.
An official from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) reportedly said that Telegram’s failure to register in Nepal and is possible use in scams meant that it could have been banned during the infamous F1Soft hacking.
In recent years, the idea to regulate social media has grown intensely in Nepal. The government has cited intolerance, anti-social content, and other such material as rationale to bar them from public access. TikTok was banned in Nepal on November 13, 2023, on these very grounds and was restored 9 months later after the latter’s commitment.
Now, Telegram could be the next to face the ban in Nepal.
