A full year after the damage caused by the Gen Z movement, insured claimants still have not received full payment. Property worth about Rs 23 billion was insured against losses from the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, 2025, but insured parties have received payment on only about Rs 9 billion of their claims so far.
According to the Nepal Insurance Authority, 3,390 insured parties who suffered losses in the Gen Z protest have filed compensation claims. Together, these claims amount to Rs 23.19 billion. But a full year after the movement, insurance companies had paid out only Rs 8.82 billion by July 6, just 38% of the amount claimed.
An Authority official said not all claimed amounts get paid in full. He explained that once an insured party files a claim, the company pays only after assessing the actual damage, and in the course of that assessment, some claims turn out not to warrant payment, or not the full amount requested. He added that payment is also sometimes delayed by litigation, since either party, the claimant or the payer, may seek court intervention if dissatisfied.
Arson and vandalism against government and private property occurred during the Gen Z movement, causing total damage estimated at Rs 84 billion. Of that, only property worth Rs 23.19 billion was insured, according to the Authority. Protesters targeted not only government property but also private businesses and enterprises.
Protesters vandalised and set fire to dozens of private homes and businesses, including the Chandragiri Cable Car, Bhatbhateni supermarket stores, several vehicle showrooms, bank branch offices, the Maulakalika cable car, CG Digital, Hotel Hilton, Ncell, and the Hyatt Regency Hotel, causing partial or total damage.
Bhatbhateni alone suffered damage of about Rs 12 billion and filed an insurance claim of Rs 8 billion. So far it has received only Rs 2.5 billion in payment. Bhatbhateni’s chief operating officer, Panu Poudel, said the delay in payment was due to the time taken to assess the damage.
He said the remaining claim is still in process and payment is expected in the coming days. Bhatbhateni’s claim breaks down into Rs 5 billion for stock losses and Rs 3 billion for building damage.
Similarly, Hotel Hilton, which was set on fire, has not even received an advance payment on its insurance claim. Hotel sources said that despite filing a claim of Rs 5 billion, it has not received a single rupee so far.
According to an Insurance Authority official, of the total Rs 23 billion claimed, only about Rs 15 billion is actually payable. An additional Rs 4–5 billion in claims is in the final stages of processing, which, once added, would bring the total to around Rs 13–14 billion. The remaining claims are still under process, the official said.
“The delay in payment is because surveyor reports are coming in late. Once an insured party files a compensation claim, the surveyor conducts a real assessment, and payment is based on that assessed damage,” the official said. “For instance, when goods are destroyed by fire during the protests, there’s no stock left to assess; the value has to be reconstructed and verified, and that fine-grained work takes time.”
Sunil Ballav Panta, secretary-general of the Non-Life Insurers’ Association, said claim payments for damages from the Gen Z movement have not stalled. He said survey reports for large claims have only recently started coming in, whereas smaller claims, including most vehicle claims, were easier to assess and have already been settled quickly.
He added that because large businesses suffered extensive arson and vandalism, damage assessment for them naturally takes more time.
Why are claim payments delayed?
When a loss occurs, the insured files a claim with the insurance company, which then has a surveyor conduct a full assessment and prepare a report. The claimant may request a larger sum than the surveyor finds justified, in which case the full claimed amount is not paid.
Determining the actual extent of damage requires careful, detailed assessment, which takes time, making insurance claim payment inherently slow. Gathering evidence appropriate to the nature of the damage also takes time, insurers say.
Delays also occur when insured parties are unable to submit required bills, receipts, police reports, or other legal documents on time.
In addition, large claims require approval and fund transfers from foreign reinsurance companies, which takes time. For large enterprises, the sheer volume of damage documentation to verify adds further delay.
Disputes also arise when the surveyor’s assessed damage amount doesn’t match what the insured party has claimed. Resolving such disputes, through negotiation or, at times, legal proceedings, further delays claim payments.
