Nepal recorded electronic transactions worth over Rs 98.43 trillion in the last fiscal year (FY 2024/25), marking a 71 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Data from Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows a sharp rise in digital payments in recent years. In FY 2023/24, transactions amounted to Rs 57.47 trillion, while in FY 2020/21 the figure stood at Rs 34.42 trillion—reflecting a nearly threefold increase within five years.
According to NRB officials, the rapid shift toward digital transactions is driven by the ease, safety, and efficiency of electronic payment systems over traditional cash-based methods.
In FY 2024/25, the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system alone processed Rs 74.9 trillion in payments. Similarly, the Electronic Check Clearing (ECC) platform handled transactions worth over Rs 6.2 trillion, while faster payment systems settled Rs 5.2 trillion.
Other digital payment channels also witnessed significant use:
- Mobile banking: Rs 5 trillion
- Connect IPS: Rs 2.9 trillion
- Debit cards: Rs 2.9 trillion
- ATMs: Rs 1 trillion+
- QR-based payments: Rs 956 billion
- E-commerce systems: Rs 266 billion
NRB noted that a large share of payments typically occurs in the last month (mid-June to mid-July) and the first month (mid-July to mid-August) of each fiscal year. In the first month of FY 2024/25 alone, transactions reached Rs 126 billion, while Rs 119 billion was recorded in the final month of the previous fiscal year.
