The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The investment scale of the four approved FDI projects ranges from small-scale to large-scale, two between Nu 1–10 million, one between Nu 10–100 million, and one exceeding Nu 100 million. The projects, backed by investors from Finland, the USA and India, are expected to create about 261 jobs as outlined in their business plan.
Four projects have been approved since the launch of the revised FDI Rules and Regulations 2025. Two are in the production and manufacturing sector, which are in the construction phase, while the remaining two are service-oriented businesses that have yet to commence operations.
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.
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), Namgyal Dorji, said the government’s strategy centres on creating a more predictable, transparent and investor-friendly environment.
Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said, “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.”
He also said the revised framework simplifies compliance procedures and introduces clearer Turnaround Times (TAT) for regulatory approvals, reducing uncertainty for foreign investors and broadening sectoral opportunities, making the country a more competitive destination for FDI.
Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji said that key features of the revised Rules and 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 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 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.
