NCHL & Ant International enable NEPALPAY QR payments for tourists in Nepal

By Gloria Mathias

Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL), a digital payment system in Nepal, and Ant International, a digital payment and FinTech, have jointly announced the launch of cross-border payments between NEPALPAY QR and Alipay+.

The launch was announced at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2024 by Mr. Edward Yue, General Manager of Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, Ant International, and Mr. Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan, CEO of NCHL.

The launch marks the beginning of cross-border QR-based payments, enabling travellers from 10 countries and regions, including the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR China, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, South Korea, and Italy, to use their home payment apps, including eWallets and bank apps, to pay at more than 875,000 merchants associated with the interoperable NEPALPAY QR network in Nepal.

Alipay+ will enable its following partners for use in Nepal via NEPALPAY QR for a seamless cross-border payment experience: Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Tinaba (Italy), MPay (Macao SAR), Touch ‘n Go eWallet and MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (the Philippines), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), and TrueMoney (Thailand).

Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan, the CEO of NCHL, said, “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. This partnership will help foster the tourism sector in Nepal and is also expected to enable seamless cross-border digital payments for travellers from 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 entities for their commitment towards fostering global partnerships.”

Edward Yue, General Manager for Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, Ant International, said, “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. Standardized QR payments like NEPALPAY QR are a visionary development towards more vibrant and inclusive growth and with tourism expected to grow even further in the coming year.”