Nepal PM Balendra “Balen” Shah has declared YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, Facebook and iTunes among the main sources of his income, making for an unusual disclosure in which the country’s top leader linked a substantial part of his wealth to digital content and streaming revenue.
Shah, 35, entered high office after a public career that cut across music, engineering and politics. An indie rapper before his rise in public life, he continued to project that identity even after taking office, releasing a song titled ‘Jai Mahakali’ on the day he was sworn in as PM. Shah’s wife, Sabina Kafle, declared gold and silver worth $340,147 (INR 2.8 crore).
His digital footprint helps explain that position. Shah has 12 lakh subscribers on YouTube, 4.3 lakh on TikTok, 40 lakh on Facebook and 5 lakh on X. In his case, the disclosure reflected the earnings of a public figure who built a large following as a rapper before entering politics.
The filing showed Shah held bank deposits of $108,550 (INR 91 lakh), which were linked to income from digital content creation. That figure stood out against his salary as PM, reported at $8,411.5 a year (INR 7 lakh), along with a monthly expense allowance of $126.4 (about Rs 10,600).
