Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) has partnered with Ant International to introduce a new cross-border payment feature that connects NEPALPAY QR with Alipay+. This integration enables travelers from ten regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, South Korea, and Italy, to use their native e-wallets and banking apps at over 875,000 NEPALPAY QR-compatible merchants in Nepal.
The collaboration will activate several major payment partners via Alipay+, enabling a seamless cross-border payment experience. Key payment partners include Alipay, AlipayHK, Tinaba, MPay, Touch ‘n Go eWallet, MyPB, Hipay, GCash, Changi Pay, OCBC Digital, Naver Pay, Toss Pay, and TrueMoney.
A Major Step for Nepal’s Digital Payment Integration
Officials from NCHL noted that this initiative, launched within six months of the MOU signing, marks a significant milestone in the development of Nepal’s payment system. They emphasized that this is NEPALPAY QR’s first foray into cross-border payments and will play a key role in supporting Nepal’s tourism sector. By facilitating easy and convenient digital payments for travelers from multiple countries, this collaboration positions Nepal’s QR-based payment system on the global stage.
Representatives from Ant International for Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand shared their enthusiasm for the potential impact on Nepal’s tourism economy. With global consumers increasingly seeking unique and sustainable travel experiences, they foresee a growing market for QR-based payments in Nepal, helping to forge both local and international partnerships.
This cross-border payment system follows an MOU signed in May 2024, laying the foundation for seamless payment infrastructure between NCHL and Ant International. With Nepal becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, the system aims to meet the demand for convenient payment solutions. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, over 416,069 tourists visited Nepal from January to April 2024, averaging more than 100,000 arrivals per month.
Introduced by Ant International in 2020, Alipay+ now connects over 88 million merchants across 57 countries and regions, with over 1.5 billion consumer accounts from more than 25 e-wallets and banking apps. This allows travelers to pay globally without hassle and helps merchants expand their cross-border consumer engagement and digital marketing efforts.
