NRB increases the limit of digital payment in Nepal

Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank has issued a press release for the increase of the threshold/limit of the digital payment in Nepal. One Year before NRB set a threshold for all digital payments like credit/debit card, mobile/internet banking, and mobile wallets. That time, people commented on the amount of the digital payment limit to be discouraging.

Issuing a press release, NRB has made an amendment to all of the digital payment method and transaction limit.

Mobile banking

Regarding the mobile banking payment, NRB now increases the limit to Rs 50,000 per day. Before the amount was just Rs 15,000 per day. Apart from the billed amount payment, a customer could only pay Rs 50,000 per month which is now increased to Rs 1 lakh. The payment threshold is also applicable for QR code-based payments.

Internet banking

For internet banking, the transaction limit for merchant payment is increased from Rs 1 lakh per day to Rs 10 lakh. Similarly, the threshold per month has been set at Rs 30 lakhs.

Internet banking for a transaction between bank accounts will also have Rs 1 lakh per day limits. But the threshold limit per month for the bank transaction through the internet is Rs 50 lakh.

ALSO READ: Top digital service providers/mobile wallets in Nepal

Prepaid Card

Now people can use a prepaid card for the transaction of Rs 500 to Rs 25000. But there is no limit for the financial institution to bar people from taking money as per their demand.

If the issuer and acquirer are to be different, the transaction amount remains the same with clearly mentioning the service charge.

NFC

They have even tried to regulate the Near Field Communication (NFC) payments. For which, the contactless payment does not require a PIN code for up to Rs 2000 payments. So, the bank & financial institution need to be careful to minimize the risk from some payment.

Agents/Subagents

The payments through agents and subagents will have a limitation of Rs  25000 per day and Rs 50,000 per month.

Wallet transfer

For the bank to the wallet, wallet to the bank, wallet to wallet transfer, the transaction limit will be Rs 25000 per day. There is also a limitation of such transaction per month which is Rs 50,000.

The bill payment for products and services through ATM or other payment methodologies also have the same limit of Rs 25000 per day and Rs 50,000 per month.

As there was a huge outcry in the social media for the previous regulations, NRB has come up with this amendment to increase such threshold limit. They argued that the previous threshold has not encouraged the use of digital/cashless payment in Nepal.

Now with this new amendment of payment limit, we can say NRB has set a new foot for the digital payments in Nepal. But more has to be done apart from just increasing the threshold limits.