# NEPALPAY QR

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/nepalpay-qr
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [NEPALPAY QR — NCHL](https://nchl.com.np/nepalpay-qr/)
- [NEPALPAY QR interoperable transactions — NCHL](https://nchl.com.np/nepalpay-qr-interoperable-qr-based-transaction/)

## Overview

**NEPALPAY QR** is **Nepal's national interoperable QR-payment scheme**, launched **11 March 2022** by **Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL)** as an implementation of the **NepalQR standardisation framework published by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) in February 2021** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>. The standard is built on **EMVCo standards version 4.3** — a textbook EMVCo-compliant national QR. NEPALPAY QR works as an **independent QR scheme** allowing **QR interoperability at both merchant level and network level** — meaning any participating bank/PSP customer can pay any participating merchant regardless of issuer.

At launch, mobile-banking apps of **Himalayan Bank Ltd, Sanima Bank Ltd, Samriddhi Finance Ltd, and connectIPS mobile app** were enabled to scan and pay with NEPALPAY QR. **Within a week, the BFIs and PSP had acquired close to 5,000 merchants** — substantial early adoption. The structural significance: Nepal's QR-payment landscape was previously fragmented across closed-loop wallets (**eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay, Namaste Pay** — 27 licensed digital wallets per recent reports). NEPALPAY QR provides the unifying interoperable layer. **October 2022, Smart QR + NEPALPAY QR announced network-level QR interoperability** — extending the unification across competitor schemes. **Recent: Sri Lanka × Nepal cross-border digital-payment connectivity launched**, integrating NEPALPAY QR with [LankaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lankaqr) for cross-border tourism payments.

## History

**Background — Nepalese payment landscape** <sup>[Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>:
- **Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)** — central bank.
- **NCHL** (Nepal Clearing House Limited) — interbank clearing operator.
- **27 licensed digital wallets**: eSewa (largest), Khalti, IME Pay, Namaste Pay, others.
- Fragmented closed-loop QR landscape pre-2022.

**February 2021 — NRB issues NepalQR standardisation framework** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Foundation document.
- Based on **EMVCo standards version 4.3**.
- Aimed at interoperability + standardisation.

**11 March 2022 — NEPALPAY QR officially launches** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- NCHL implementation of NepalQR standard.
- Initial participants: Himalayan Bank, Sanima Bank, Samriddhi Finance, connectIPS.

**Within week of launch: ~5,000 merchants acquired** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Rapid early adoption.

**October 2022 — Smart QR + NEPALPAY QR network-level interop** [[smart-qr]]:
- Cross-scheme interoperability extension.

**Recent — Sri Lanka × Nepal cross-border QR connectivity** [[newswire]]:
- NEPALPAY QR ↔ [LankaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lankaqr) integration.
- Strengthens regional financial integration.

**FY2021-22 → FY2023-24 average QR-payment volume growth: +230 %/year** <sup>[Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>:
- Extraordinary growth trajectory.

## Technical specification

NEPALPAY QR is **NCHL-operated EMVCo-4.3-compliant national QR scheme** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Standards body** | **Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)** |
| **Operator** | **Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL)** |
| **Specification** | **EMVCo standards version 4.3** |
| **Standard published** | February 2021 |
| **Implementation launch** | **11 March 2022** |
| **Currency** | NPR (Nepalese rupee) |
| **Interoperability scope** | **Merchant level + network level** |
| **Cross-scheme interop** | Smart QR (Oct 2022) |
| **Cross-border** | Sri Lanka ([LankaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lankaqr)) |
| **Underlying interbank rail** | NCHL connectIPS rails |

**EMVCo 4.3 alignment** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Standard interoperable QR design.
- Compatible with regional + global QR ecosystems.

**Network-level interop with Smart QR** [[smart-qr]]:
- Cross-scheme connectivity extending beyond initial NEPALPAY QR participants.

## Use cases

**Merchant QR payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal use — any participating bank/wallet customer pays any participating merchant.

**Cross-bank / cross-wallet** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Interoperable across schemes.

**Cross-border tourist payments (Sri Lanka)** [[newswire]]: NEPALPAY QR ↔ LankaQR integration.

**Bill payment** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Utilities + government via connected wallets.

**P2P transfers (via underlying rails)** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Indirect via connectIPS.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Standards body**: **Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)**.

**Operator**: **Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL)**.

**Initial participants (launch)**:
- Himalayan Bank Ltd.
- Sanima Bank Ltd.
- Samriddhi Finance Ltd.
- connectIPS mobile app.

**Subsequent**: Most major Nepalese BFIs + 27 licensed digital wallets via interop.

**Cross-scheme partner**: **Smart QR** (Oct 2022).

**Cross-border partner**: **[LankaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lankaqr)** (Sri Lanka via LankaPay).

**Major Nepalese digital wallets** <sup>[Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>: eSewa (largest), Khalti, IME Pay, Namaste Pay, 23 others.

## Fun facts

- **EMVCo 4.3 from launch**: One of the more recent EMVCo specification versions globally — Nepal benefited from later standardisation maturity.
- **5,000 merchants in 1 week**: Among the faster initial-week-merchant-acquisition rates for any national QR launch.
- **230 % average annual growth**: FY2021-22 → FY2023-24 — Nepal QR-payment growth extraordinary.
- **27 licensed wallets in small Nepal**: One of the highest digital-wallet-licence counts globally for a market of Nepal's size (~30M population).
- **Sri Lanka × Nepal cross-border**: Regional South-Asian cross-border QR connectivity expansion.
- **Connectivity with BHIM-UPI (India)** — Nepal-India cross-border integration has been progressively expanded given strong Nepal-India economic ties.
- **Network-level interop with Smart QR (Oct 2022)**: Cross-scheme cooperation rare among national QR products.
- **Tourism-payment focus**: Nepal's tourism economy (Himalayas, Lumbini, Kathmandu Valley) drives cross-border QR-acceptance value.

## Comparison

| Feature | NEPALPAY QR (NP) | [Bhutan QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bhutan-qr) (BT) | [LankaQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/lankaqr) (LK) | [Bangla QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/bangla-qr) (BD) | [UPI QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upi-qr) (IN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standards body | NRB | RMA | CBSL | Bangladesh Bank | NPCI/RBI |
| Operator | NCHL | RMA | LankaPay | various | NPCI |
| Specification | **EMVCo 4.3** | UPI-aligned | EMVCo | EMVCo MPM | NPCI proprietary |
| Cross-border partners | Sri Lanka + India (BHIM-UPI) | India BHIM-UPI | India + Alipay+ | Limited | Multiple (SG, AE, etc.) |
| Launch | Mar 2022 | 2020 | Oct 2020 | Mar 2019 | 2016 |

## Status

**Active, growing rapidly** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>:
- **NCHL operator** since 11 March 2022.
- **EMVCo 4.3-compliant**.
- **Merchant + network-level interop**.
- **Smart QR cross-scheme** (Oct 2022).
- **Sri Lanka cross-border** integration.
- **+230 % annual growth**.

## Sources

[1]: https://nchl.com.np/nepalpay-qr/ "NEPALPAY QR — NCHL"
[2]: https://nchl.com.np/nepalpay-qr-interoperable-qr-based-transaction/ "NEPALPAY QR interoperable — NCHL"
[smart-qr]: https://www.sharesansar.com/newsdetail/smart-qr-nepalpay-qr-to-implement-network-level-qr-interoperability-2022-10-09 "Smart QR + NEPALPAY QR network-level interop"
[newswire]: https://www.newswire.lk/business/sri-lanka-and-nepal-launch-cross-border-digital-payment-connectivity-to-strengthen-regional-financial-integration "Sri Lanka × Nepal cross-border QR"

- [1] [NEPALPAY QR — NCHL][1]
- [2] [NEPALPAY QR interoperable — NCHL][2]
- <sup>[Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup> `reports/countries/NP-nepal.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **NP** — [NP-nepal.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)