NPCI International and NCHL Launch Real Time India Nepal Remittance Link

9th June 2026, Kathmandu

NPCI International Payments Limited, the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, has officially launched a real-time cross-border payment link in partnership with Nepal Clearing House Limited.

NPCI International Partnership NCHL

The landmark integration directly connects India’s Unified Payments Interface with Nepal’s National Payments Interface platform. This digital payment corridor allows users to execute instant, secure, and low-cost person-to-person fund transfers across the border, creating a new benchmark for regional financial interoperability.

Streamlined Person to Person Transfers Using Mobile Numbers and UPI IDs

The brand-new digital linkage simplifies the user journey by completely eliminating the need to memorize or share complex bank routing numbers.

By replacing long bank account strings with simple digital identifiers, the network significantly reduces manual entry errors and speeds up the transaction flow.

The functional features and transfer options available under this cross-border integration include:

• P2P Transfer Routing: Indian and Nepalese citizens residing in India can send instant remittances directly to recipient bank accounts located in Nepal.
• Indian User Capabilities: Indian nationals traveling or working in Nepal can easily initiate outward fund transfers back to India.
• Simplified Digital Identifiers: Inbound remittances to Nepal can be processed using only the mobile phone number or Virtual Payment Address of the receiver.
• Outbound Indian Routing: Outward money transfers from Nepal back to India utilize the registered standard UPI identification handles of the recipient.
• Data Protection Layout: The system completely removes the need to share sensitive bank branch codes or account details during transaction setups.

The real-time service is already live through a select group of commercial banking institutions in both countries. The participating clearing houses plan to rapidly scale access by onboarding additional retail banks and digital wallets over the coming months.

Strategic Alignment With Global G20 Goals and Regional Economic Ties

Beyond providing immediate everyday convenience for families, this institutional tie-up represents a major step forward for formal financial inclusion across South Asia.

The project aligns perfectly with international mandates designed to lower the cost of sending money home, keeping more capital within local communities.

The broader institutional impacts and strategic goals of the UPI-NPI project include:

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• Fulfilling core G20 financial targets by building highly accessible, transparent, and affordable cross-border payment systems
• Strengthening the long-standing social, cultural, and economic relationships shared between India and Nepal
• Significantly reducing the high service fees typically associated with traditional brick-and-mortar remittance agencies
• Providing secure, transparent, and fully traceable digital transactions that support the financial health of both nations

According to Ritesh Shukla, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NPCI International, this real-time payment corridor is engineered to simplify daily household financing while fostering deep financial inclusion.

Neelesh Man Singh Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Clearing House Limited, noted that the successful launch reflects a shared commitment to building modern, interconnected digital payment systems that benefit millions of citizens and businesses on both sides of the border.

Institutional Background: Understanding NIPL and NCHL Operational Frameworks

The deployment of this cross-border payment link relies on the specialized technical expertise of two dominant public-interest payment operators.

Both entities have spent years building robust domestic payment networks before connecting their systems internationally.

The organizational profiles of the primary executing partners include:

NPCI International Payments Limited: Incorporated on April 3 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, this entity focuses on deploying indigenous Indian fintech like UPI and RuPay card schemes across global markets through licensing and consulting.

Nepal Clearing House Limited: A public limited company promoted jointly by Nepal Rastra Bank and various commercial banks, this group establishes national electronic payment structures like connectIPS, CORPORATEPAY, and NEPALPAY QR within Nepal.

By establishing a secure, interoperable bridge between these two national architectures, India and Nepal have built a powerful model for cross-border digital payment collaborations.

As more financial institutions integrate into the live network, this digital remittance corridor will continue to lower trading barriers, secure family incomes, and set an example for fast payment integrations worldwide.

For More: NPCI International Partnership NCHL