Essential Update: Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank PhonePe Service Outage Due to DR Drill

Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank

2nd December 2025, Kathmandu

Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank Ltd. (KSBBL) customers should be aware of a planned temporary disruption to PhonePe services.

Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank

This necessary outage is scheduled to facilitate an essential Disaster Recovery (DR) Drill being conducted by Fonepay Payment Service Limited.

The bank is advising all customers of the temporary halt to all PhonePe-related services, including QR payments, bill payments, and inter-bank fund transfers.

This crucial maintenance ensures the resilience and security of the payment ecosystem. Customers can still conduct transactions using alternative, widely available digital channels.

Key Information: The PhonePe Service Disruption

Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank has issued a critical notice regarding the temporary suspension of services linked to the Fonepay network.

This is not a service failure, but a planned, industry-wide operational drill designed to enhance long-term system stability.

Timing of the Service Outage

The PhonePe-related services will be temporarily unavailable during the early hours of:

• Date: Wednesday, 2082/08/17 BS (Specific English Date not provided, but the original date is for an upcoming time)

• Time: 12:30 AM to 05:30 AM (5-hour window)

The timing, specifically during the pre-dawn hours, was chosen to minimize inconvenience and impact on the majority of customers. However, any customer needing to perform urgent payments during this 5-hour window must use the alternative methods outlined below.

Why is the Outage Happening?

Fonepay Payment Service Limited is conducting a comprehensive Disaster Recovery (DR) Drill. A DR drill is an essential exercise in the financial technology (FinTech) sector.

It tests an organization’s ability to recover and continue critical operations following a major unexpected event, such as a hardware failure or natural disaster.

This proactive measure ensures that the payment infrastructure remains robust and reliable.

By simulating a disaster, the bank and its payment partner, Fonepay, can identify and address potential weaknesses in their backup and recovery systems. This greatly improves the long-term security and continuity of services.

Understanding the Affected PhonePe Services

During the drill period, the following Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank services that rely on the Fonepay network will be suspended:

QR Payments: All transactions requiring a Fonepay QR code scan (both merchant payments and peer-to-peer transfers).

Bill Payments: Utility and service bill payments processed through the Fonepay platform.

Fund Transfers: Inter-bank or intra-bank transfers utilizing the Fonepay system.

The bank greatly regrets any inconvenience this essential DR drill may cause to its valued customers.

Digital Alternatives: Keep Transacting

Despite the temporary suspension of PhonePe services, customers can still easily carry out transactions through a range of unaffected digital banking channels. Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank assures customers that several reliable alternatives remain fully operational.

Available Transaction Channels:

NepalPay QR: This national QR scheme, part of the National Payment Switch (NPS), offers interoperable payment solutions. Customers can use their mobile banking app to scan NepalPay QR codes for quick merchant payments.

Connect IPS: For high-value fund transfers and various government/utility payments, the Connect IPS platform is a robust and highly available option. This system is designed for secure, real-time bulk payments and collections.

Debit Card: Customers can use their KSBBL debit cards for point-of-sale (POS) purchases at physical merchants or for cash withdrawals at ATMs.

POS (Point of Sale): Card-based transactions at merchant terminals will proceed normally.

The availability of these alternative channels ensures that customers maintain access to vital financial services during the brief PhonePe services outage.

Commitment to Customer Security

The necessity of the DR drill underscores Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of operational resilience and cybersecurity.

In today’s digital financial landscape, proactive maintenance and rigorous testing of disaster recovery procedures are paramount.

By cooperating with Fonepay to execute this drill, KSBBL actively protects customer funds and data against unforeseen risks. This ensures that the digital banking experience remains secure, reliable, and available when customers need it most.

For more: Kamana Sewa Bikas Bank