HustleMemo
Portrait of Binod Chaudhary.

Binod Chaudhary

Chairman of the Chaudhary Group and, since 2013, Nepal’s first and only US-dollar billionaire — the man behind Wai Wai noodles.

Chaudhary Group (CG Corp Global) · FMCG, banking, hospitality, conglomerate · est. 1968

Born in Kathmandu in 1955 to a Marwari trading family that migrated from Rajasthan in the 19th century. Took over family operations at ~18 when his father fell ill, then scaled the business: National Panasonic (1979), Wai Wai instant noodles (1984), control of Nabil Bank (1995). Forbes named him Nepal’s first dollar billionaire in 2013. Nepali Congress MP (2022–2025). Faces unadjudicated land-acquisition allegations and a 2021 Pandora Papers appearance (denied).

Notable achievements

  • Built Wai Wai into a global instant-noodle brand (launched 1984).
  • Acquired a controlling stake in Nabil Bank (1995).
  • Named by Forbes as Nepal’s first US-dollar billionaire (2013).
  • Grew the Chaudhary Group / CG Corp Global across ~19 countries.
  • Served as a Nepali Congress member of Parliament (2022–2025).

Find them online

Chaudhary Group

Stories about Binod Chaudhary

Binod Chaudhary, chairman of the Chaudhary Group, subject of a case study on Nepal’s only billionaire.
industry17 min read

Binod Chaudhary: Wai Wai and the Only Billionaire

Binod Chaudhary built Wai Wai into a global brand and became Nepal’s only US-dollar billionaire — but he started from an inherited family business, not from scratch. A sourced, critically neutral case study of genuine industrial success, the self-made myth, and unresolved land-acquisition allegations.

Binod Chaudhary