6th October 2025, Kathmandu
The festive campaign launched by Smart Choice Technologies Ltd. (SCT) in collaboration with Rastriya Bannijya Bank (as one of its member banks) and UnionPay, titled “Smart Celebrations with SCT,” represents a timely and strategic effort to merge the convenience of digital payments with the peak consumer activity of the major Nepali festivals: Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath.
SCT Launches Smart Celebrations
This initiative is designed not only to offer direct financial benefits to cardholders but also to significantly bolster the ecosystem for cashless transactions across the nation.
Core Mechanics of the SCT-UnionPay Festive Offer
The campaign is structured to provide an immediate and tangible incentive for customers to use their SCT-UnionPay cards for their festive shopping needs at one of Nepal’s prominent retail chains.
Discount Structure:
- Rate: SCT-UnionPay cardholders are eligible for a flat 10% discount on their purchases.
- Cap: The maximum discount limit is Rs. 100 per transaction. This means that the full 10% discount is applied to transactions of up to Rs. 1,000. For any purchase above Rs. 1,000, the discount will be capped at the maximum limit of Rs. 100.
- Applicability: The offer is valid across all Big Mart stores throughout Nepal, ensuring nationwide accessibility for the cardholders.
Campaign Duration:
- Start Date: September 22, 2025 (Ashoj 6, 2082) (Ghatasthapana, the beginning of Dashain).
- End Date: October 27, 2025 (Kartik 10, 2082) (Chhath Puja).
The long duration ensures that the campaign effectively covers the entire celebratory period, from the beginning of Dashain through to Chhath Puja, maximizing the utility and reach of the offer during the most significant shopping period of the year.
Strategic Objectives and Digital Adoption
SCT’s stated goal to “encourage digital payments and enhance the shopping experience” is fundamentally an effort to transition consumer behavior away from cash and towards electronic payment methods. This campaign contributes to the national agenda of establishing a robust and inclusive digital economy in the following ways:
Incentivizing Card Usage: The 10% instant discount serves as a powerful financial incentive. During a festival when household spending is at its peak, a guaranteed saving, even if capped at Rs. 100 per transaction, makes the card a more appealing payment method than cash. This regular use habituation is key to long-term digital adoption.
Promoting the SCT-UnionPay Co-Brand: As a payment system operator, SCT’s core business is the network. The campaign specifically targets SCT-UnionPay co-branded cards, encouraging banks to issue more of these cards and customers to prefer them over other payment instruments. The growth of the SCT-UnionPay network is critical for expanding the interoperable card payment ecosystem in Nepal.
Driving Merchant Acceptance and Foot Traffic: By partnering with Big Mart, a high-volume retailer, SCT ensures its cardholders have a reliable and widespread location to use their cards and claim the discount. This partnership is mutually beneficial, as the offer drives more foot traffic and sales to Big Mart outlets, while also increasing the transaction volume through SCT’s payment terminals.
Enhancing Customer Experience: The festive season can often be characterized by long queues and the inconvenience of managing physical cash and change. Digital payments through cards offer a faster, more convenient, and more secure way to complete transactions, thereby enhancing the overall shopping experience during the busy festival rush.
The Broader SCT Ecosystem and Rastriya Bannijya Bank’s Role
SCT, as a licensed Payment System Operator (PSO) in Nepal, plays a central role in the country’s digital finance landscape, working with a wide network of member banks and financial institutions, including Rastriya Bannijya Bank.
Rastriya Bannijya Bank (RBB): As a member bank within the SCT network, RBB issues the SCT-UnionPay co-branded cards to its customers. The campaign directly benefits RBB cardholders, adding value to their banking relationship and encouraging them to use the payment instrument provided by the bank.
Network Strength: SCT’s overall network strength, which connects over 23 member banks and more than 100 cooperatives across Nepal, is vital for the success of this campaign. It ensures that the discount is accessible to a vast and distributed customer base, reinforcing the interoperability of the national payment system.
In conclusion, the “Smart Celebrations with SCT” campaign is a classic example of using promotional offers to drive transactional volume and foster digital habits during a period of high consumer liquidity, effectively supporting the broader national shift towards a less-cash economy while providing immediate financial relief to customers during their most significant annual shopping spree.
For More: SCT Launches Smart Celebrations