THE collaboration between Nepal Clearing House Ltd. (NCHL) and Ant International marks a significant advancement in cross-border payment systems, enhancing Nepal’s digital payment infrastructure and boosting its tourism potential.
Announced at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, this initiative links the Nepalpay QR network with Alipay+, enabling seamless cross-border QR-based payments.
Travelers from 10 countries and regions — including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Mongolia, Macao and Italy — can now use their home payment apps at over 875,000 merchants in Nepal’s Nepalpay QR network.
“Nepal stands to benefit from tourism growth, given a growing preference for more sustainable and unique experiences, and together with NCHL, we’re proud to support joint innovation to benefit both local businesses and global consumers,” said Edward Yue, general manager for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Ant International. “Standardized QR payments like Nepalpay QR are a visionary development toward more vibrant and inclusive growth — and with tourism expected to grow even further in the coming year, we’re excited to support our partners and merchants in Nepal and around the world towards a new future of travel.”
Supported apps include Alipay, GCash, Naver Pay, TrueMoney, MPay, and others, ensuring broad interoperability. This partnership simplifies payment for tourists, enhancing their travel experience in Nepal. It also supports local businesses by expanding their reach to international consumers, driving revenue growth.
“This is the first-ever rollout announcement of cross-border payments for Nepalpay QR and our interoperable QR. We are extremely delighted to showcase Nepal’s QR scheme and our retail payment system in the global arena,” said Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan, chief executive officer of NCHL. “This partnership will help foster the tourism sector in Nepal and is also expected to enable seamless cross-border digital payments for the travelers of various countries who choose Nepal as their preferred destination. This partnership between NCHL and Alipay+ for enabling merchant payments is a major milestone for both the entities for their commitment towards fostering global partnerships.”
The rollout was achieved within six months of the signing of the memorandum of understanding in May 2024, demonstrating the efficiency and collaboration between NCHL and Ant International.
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