# eSewa

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/esewa
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [eSewa — official](https://esewa.com.np/)

## Overview

**eSewa** is **Nepal's leading digital wallet + South Asia's first digital wallet**, established **2009** as a F1Soft Group subsidiary <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup>. eSewa has **10+ million users + 250,000 agents + 425,000 merchants + 49+ banking partnerships** — serving **more than one-third of Nepal's population** via all 753 local bodies in Nepal. **eSewa became the first Nepali wallet to surpass 10 million Play Store downloads**.

**Distinctive eSewa positioning**: licensed by **Nepal Rastra Bank as a PSP under the Payment and Settlement Act**. Recent features: **Easy Loan for Agents + Merchant Link + AI-powered Chatbot + Personal Finance Manager + Personalized Payment Calendar**.

## History

**2009 — eSewa launches by F1Soft** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: South Asia's first digital wallet + Nepal's pioneering payment service.

**2009-2020 — Nationwide Nepal expansion** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: All 753 local bodies coverage.

**2024-2025 — 10M+ users + first Nepali wallet to 10M Play Store downloads** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

**2025 — Khalti-IME Pay merger context** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: eSewa remains independent; wallet-to-wallet transfer discussions among Nepali wallets.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **eSewa** — pioneering social-enterprise subsidiary of **F1Soft Group**.

**Parent**: **F1Soft Group** — Nepal fintech conglomerate (20+ years).

**Regulator**: **Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)** — licensed as Payment Service Provider (PSP) under Payment and Settlement Act.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | eSewa mobile app (iOS + Android) + agent network + merchant QR |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + QR |
| **Nepal rail** | **[Fonepay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/fonepay)** (Nepal national QR via F1Soft sister-brand Fonepay) |
| **Agent network** | **250,000 agents** |
| **Merchant network** | **425,000 merchants** |
| **Banking partnerships** | **49+ Banks and Financial Institutions** |
| **Coverage** | All **753 local bodies in Nepal** |
| **Recent features** | Easy Loan for Agents + Merchant Link + AI Chatbot + Personal Finance Manager + Personalized Payment Calendar |

## Users & growth

**2025 baseline** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- **Users**: 10+ million (more than 1/3 of Nepal's population)
- **Agents**: 250,000
- **Merchants**: 425,000
- **Banking partners**: 49+
- **Distinction**: First Nepali wallet to surpass 10M Play Store downloads

## Use cases

P2P transfers; merchant QR payments via Fonepay QR; bill payments + utility + mobile top-ups; remittances (MoneyGram partnership); agent banking + cash-in/cash-out; loan products (Easy Loan for Agents); personal finance management.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **eSewa** (F1Soft Group).

**Parent**: **F1Soft Group** (Nepal fintech conglomerate).

**National QR rail**: **Fonepay** (F1Soft sister-brand operating Nepal national QR rail).

**Remittance partner**: **MoneyGram**.

**Major Nepali competitors**: **[Khalti](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/khalti)** (Nepal digital wallet, merging with IME Pay in 2025), **[Fonepay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/fonepay)** (Nepal national QR; F1Soft sister), **IME Pay** (merging with Khalti 2025), **PrabhuPAY** (Nepal wallet).

**Regulator**: **Nepal Rastra Bank**.

## Fun facts

- **South Asia's first digital wallet** (2009).
- **First Nepali wallet to surpass 10M Play Store downloads**.
- **More than 1/3 of Nepal's population** uses eSewa (10M+ users).
- **250K agents + 425K merchants + 49+ banking partners** — comprehensive Nepali coverage.
- **All 753 Nepal local bodies** served.
- **F1Soft Group parent** — 20+ years Nepal fintech.
- **MoneyGram partnership** for remittances.
- **AI-powered Chatbot + Personal Finance Manager** recent features.

## Comparison

| Feature | eSewa | [Khalti](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/khalti) (NP rival) | [Fonepay](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/fonepay) (NP national QR) | [bKash](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bkash) (BD analogous) | [UPI QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upi-qr) (IN analogous national) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **eSewa (F1Soft Group)** | Khalti (Janaki Technology) | Fonepay (F1Soft sister) | bKash (BRAC Bank + Money in Motion + Ant Group + IFC) | NPCI India |
| Type | **Nepal pioneer wallet + agent network** | Nepal digital wallet (merging IME Pay 2025) | Nepal national QR rail | BD largest mobile wallet | IN national A2A instant payment |
| Country | Nepal | Nepal | Nepal | Bangladesh | India |
| Users | **10M+ (>1/3 NP pop)** | Major (post-IME merger) | 20M users + 1.7M merchants | 70M+ | 600M+ users (UPI ID) |
| Distinctive | **South Asia's first digital wallet (2009)** | NP's first wallet-merger (Khalti+IMEPay, NRB-approved 2025) | NP national QR + UnionPay + UPI + Alipay+ integration | BD-dominant; mobile-money-style | IN national rail |

## Status

**Active, Nepal's leading digital wallet + South Asia's first** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **eSewa** (F1Soft Group subsidiary) since 2009.
- **10M+ users + 250K agents + 425K merchants + 49+ banking partners**.
- **All 753 NP local bodies**.
- **NRB-licensed PSP**.
- **First NP wallet to 10M Play Store downloads**.

## Sources

[1]: https://f1soft.com/business/esewa "eSewa — F1Soft business profile"
[2]: https://www.b360nepal.com/detail/24666/esewa-pioneering-digital-payments-in-nepal "eSewa pioneering NP digital payments — B360"
[3]: https://techpana.com/2025/153494/how-long-will-it-take-for-khalti-and-esewa-to-enable-wallet-to-wallet-transfer "NP wallet-to-wallet transfer — TechPana"
[4]: https://f1soft.com/corporate-news/esewa%20-celebrates-16-years-of-digital-transformation "eSewa 16 years — F1Soft news"
[np-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP

- [1] [eSewa — F1Soft business profile][1]
- [2] [eSewa pioneering NP digital payments — B360][2]
- [3] [NP wallet-to-wallet transfer — TechPana][3]
- [4] [eSewa 16 years — F1Soft news][4]
- <sup>[Nepal report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/NP)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/NP-nepal.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [esewa.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/esewa). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.