PhonePe partners with eSewa & Hotel Association of Nepal Pokhara for UPI Push at the Fewa New Year Festival

April 11th, 2024: PhonePe today announced that it has partnered with e-Sewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Pokhara to popularize UPI on the Fonepay Network, as a part of the Fewa New Year Festival which will be held from April 11-14th. The New Year festival is not only very popular among citizens all over Nepal but also very popular among Indian tourists who visit the country and enjoy the festivities. With food stalls serving traditional Nepali cuisine as well as international dishes, live music performances by local and international artists, cultural performances, including traditional Nepali dances and music and art exhibitions and workshops, the iconic event, offers a unique opportunity to experience the best of Nepalese culture and local culinary delights. 

This year, in line with its vision of popularizing Digital payments via UPI, PhonePe will spearhead several activities during the Fewa New Year Festival. PhonePe will run on-ground activation aimed at raising awareness about digital payments among local merchants while demonstrating the convenience of digital payments for customers. With prominent on-ground and digital branding, kiosks showing how to use digital payments, and other interactive activities PhonePe along with eSewa and HAN Pokhara will showcase the ease of UPI payments. Over 3,000 merchants will be part of the festival with over 100,000 visitors expected.    

Speaking on the partnership, Ritesh Pai, CEO International Payments, PhonePe, said, “We are excited to partner with eSewa and the Hoteliers Association of Nepal to help popularize   UPI as a part of the popular Fewa New Year Festival. Nepal attracts many Indian visitors annually who come to experience the music, food, and culture of this beautiful place. Our focus will be on creating merchant education and awareness to ensure the uptick of UPI on the Fonepay Network in Nepal. This partnership will revolutionize Nepal’s digital landscape, ensuring PhonePe customers can effortlessly conduct transactions at their convenience, regardless of location.’’

Mr. Jagdish Khadka, CEO, eSewa said “Partnering with PhonePe and the Hotel Association of Nepal for the Fewa New Year Festival is an exciting opportunity for eSewa to further promote digital payments in Nepal. As the country’s leading digital wallet, we are committed to enhancing the digital payment ecosystem and providing convenient solutions for both merchants and consumers. With Indian visitors being a major visitor for Nepal, this move aligns well to cater the needs of visitors and enhance their overall experience. Through this collaboration, we aim to showcase the benefits of using UPI and Fonepay network and empower merchants to embrace digital transactions, ultimately contributing to the growth of Nepal’s digital economy. Additionally, we believe such collaboration will foster greater financial inclusion and accessibility.”

Mr. Laxman Subedi, President HAN Pokhara Chapter said, “In the joyous spirit of Nepali New Year 2081, 19^th Fewa New Year Festival aims to attract 300,000 visitors. Pokhara’s hotels, supported by the Hotel Association of Nepal, offer discounts of up to 20% to ensure comfortable stay for tourists travelling to Pokhara. Embracing our values of Tourism, Culture, and Food, Pokhara stands out as a beacon of Nepal’s tourism appeal. Together, let’s reveal the beauty of our region, preserve our cultural heritage, welcome visitors from far and wide, and breathe new life into our hospitality sector.”

Mr. Diwas Sapkota, CEO, Fonepay said, “It brings us a great pleasure to witness the strategic partnership with PhonePe India, eSewa Nepal, and the Hoteliers Association of Nepal to promote the integration of UPI capabilities onto the Fonepay Network. The New Year Festival serves as an ideal venue to highlight the impact of this collaboration. With its massive turnout, the festival brings people to the heart of Nepal’s cultural and economic center, offering everyone the chance to witness and experience the advancements in payment technology.”

About PhonePe Group:

PhonePe Group is India’s leading fintech company. Its flagship product, the PhonePe digital payments app, was launched in Aug 2016. In just 7 years, the company has scaled rapidly to become India’s leading consumer payments app with 520+ million registered users and a digital payments acceptance network of 38 million merchants. PhonePe also processes 230+ million daily transactions with an annualized Total Payment Value (TPV) of USD 1.5+ Trillion.

On the back of its leadership in digital payments, PhonePe Group has expanded into financial services (Insurance, Lending, Wealth) as well as new consumer tech businesses (Pincode – hyperlocal e-commerce and Indus App Store – India’s first localized App Store). PhonePe Group is an India headquartered technology company with a portfolio of businesses aligned with the company’s vision to offer every Indian an equal opportunity to accelerate their progress by unlocking the flow of money and access to services.

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About eSewa:

Established in 2009 AD, eSewa Pvt. Ltd is Nepal’s first and leading online Payment Service Provider (PSP). eSewa has been at the forefront of fostering financial inclusion and creating a digital economy. eSewa has become a household name today for making online payments. eSewa is striving to build an inclusive ecosystem to make our economy cashless. For this, the company has onboarded more than 8 Million customers, 220K agents, 350K Merchants, 49 Banks and Financial Institutions (BFIs), 5K listed services across various verticals including Mobile top-up, Utility bills payments, Domestic and International airlines. Education, Online shopping, Food and Hospitality, ISP payment, Health, Government payments, Insurance, Stockbroker payments and more. With a commitment to serve all segments of society, eSewa caters to over 8 Million customers through our user-friendly mobile application. eSewa are driving the transformation towards a more inclusive, accessible, and technologically empowered financial landscape in Nepal.

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Hotel Association Nepal

The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) is the leading representative organization in the hospitality industry. Established for the welfare of the hotel industry in Nepal, HAN has served as the official voice of Nepal’s hoteliers for over 53 years, safeguarding their lawful interests and fostering unity and cooperation among its members. Representing numerous hotels, resorts, and guesthouses in Nepal, HAN aims to assist its members in expanding their businesses through the development of strategic and innovative marketing programs, establishment of networks, advocacy for their concerns, and provision of current industry information and resources.

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About FonePay:

Fonepay is a Payment System Operator facilitating inter-bank person-to-person (P2P) and person-to merchant (P2M) transactions through its interoperable network and mobile platforms. Fonepay is regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and is the first mobile payment network to be licensed by NRB as Payment System Operator (PSO). Fonepay, a subsidiary of the F1Soft Group has been making active efforts to contribute towards a cashless economy by enabling fast, secure, and reliable digital cashless payment services to bank and wallet customers as well as businesses. The company is focused on bringing innovations to the mobile payment network through the usage of technology to achieve greater efficiency in operations and widen the reach of payment systems.

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