The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Since the launch of the revised FDI Rules & Regulations in August 2025, the Ministry Industry Commerce and Employment (MoICE) has approved a total of four Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects, according to MoICE.
In addition, 15 FDI projects have been approved in principle and issued FDI Registration Certificates since the launch, reflecting an increase compared to the number of approvals in the previous year. A detailed annual FDI report is expected to be released by the end of the year.
Bhutan got Nu 15 bn worth of FDI investments in 2024
The MoICE Minister, Namgyal Dorji, said the government’s strategy centers on creating a more predictable, transparent, and investor-friendly environment. The revised FDI Rules & Regulations 2025 is designed to reduce administrative hurdles, strengthen regulatory clarity, and align the country’s investment framework with global best practices.
By simplifying compliance procedures and introducing clearer Turnaround Times (TAT) for regulatory approvals, the new framework reduces uncertainty for foreign investors. It also broadens sectoral opportunities, making the country a more competitive destination for FDI.
Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said that key features of the revised Rules & Regulations directly target long-standing bottlenecks. These include streamlined approval processes through the reduction of documentary submissions for registration certificates, reduction of TATs, and the introduction of TATs where none existed before.
Clearer regulatory guidelines have also been introduced, with agencies mandated to develop service charters outlining procedural aspects and bringing clarity in regulatory guidelines for clearances, thereby minimising ambiguity.
Entry barriers in several sectors have been reduced by lowering the minimum project cost and increasing the maximum foreign ownership. In particular, the agriculture sector has been opened for up to 100 percent foreign ownership.
The revised rules also address one of the biggest challenges faced by FDI, which is access to foreign currency. Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said the framework now ensures access to foreign currency for the import of raw materials and operational expenses, including the repatriation of dividends.
According to MoICE, these measures are expected to improve the ease of doing business, increase investor confidence, and support a more robust flow of FDI in the coming years.
