Fonepay in Nepal (2026): How Fonepay QR Works, Fees, Limits and Cross-Border Payments

What is Fonepay?

Fonepay Payment Service Ltd was incorporated in October 2019 and received its payment system operator (PSO) licence from Nepal Rastra Bank in February 2020. It is a subsidiary of F1Soft Group, the company behind eSewa. Its QR codes follow the international EMV standard.

Because it is a network rather than an app most people download, you rarely open "Fonepay" itself. Your bank or wallet app talks to Fonepay in the background. Fonepay also runs Fonepay Direct (bank transfers), Fonepay Bills, the Fonepay Credit Card, Fonepay Business for shops and Checkout by Fonepay for online stores.

How to pay with Fonepay QR

1. Look for the "fonepay accepted" sticker or QR stand at the counter.
2. Open your bank’s mobile banking app (or a member wallet) and tap Scan and Pay.
3. Scan the QR and check the shop name shown on screen.
4. Enter the amount (dynamic QR codes fill it in for you) and confirm with your PIN or fingerprint.
5. Wait for the confirmation; the shop gets an instant alert.

Fonepay says customers earn Fonepay points on each QR payment. Across all networks, QR was Nepal’s most used retail payment method in 2024/25, with 326 million transactions worth about Rs 958 billion, according to Nepal Rastra Bank.

Fonepay QR or NEPALPAY QR? Nepal has more than one QR scheme. NEPALPAY QR is run by Nepal Clearing House (the connectIPS app’s QR Pay only reads NEPALPAY QR). We could not find a source confirming whether every app can pay every QR, so if a scan fails, check which logo is on the shop’s QR. See also our connectIPS guide.

Fonepay fees and charges

Fees effective Shrawan 1, 2082 (17 July 2025), charged through your bank or wallet. Fonepay’s 2023 blog quoted Rs 11.3 per interbank transfer, which may be the same Rs 10 fee with VAT. Fonepay does not publish a merchant fee for domestic QR payments; for payments from Indian UPI users, merchants pay 1.95%.

Fonepay limits

Fonepay payments come out of your bank’s mobile banking, so your bank’s mobile banking limit applies. Under Nepal Rastra Bank’s Unified Payment System Directive 2082 (April 2026), mobile banking is capped at Rs 3 lakh a day and web banking at Rs 20 lakh a day. We found no separate per-transaction QR limit in 2025–2026 sources. If you pay from a wallet, the wallet’s own limits apply (see our Khalti and eSewa guides).

Fonepay Direct: send money to any bank

Fonepay Direct sits inside your mobile banking app. You can send money to another bank by account number, mobile number or personal QR, and it arrives instantly. Transfers within the same bank are free; transfers to another bank cost Rs 10 plus tax.

Cross-border payments: India, China and more

• Indian visitors in Nepal: since 1 March 2024, people with PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm or BHIM can scan Fonepay merchant QR codes. They pay in Indian rupees and the shop receives Nepali rupees. By July 2025 they had made over 1 million payments worth more than Rs 2 billion, and by October 2026 more than 2 million merchants could accept them.
• Nepalis in India: still not live in October 2026. A second phase that would let Nepalis pay at more than 6 million merchants in India is being prepared, with no launch date.
• UnionPay: Fonepay announced in May 2026 that UnionPay users can now pay at Fonepay QR merchants.
• Alipay+: in August 2025 Fonepay and Alipay+ announced a partnership so visitors using Alipay, KakaoPay, GCash and TrueMoney can pay at Fonepay merchants. The announcements did not give a go-live date.
• Sri Lanka: Fonepay started working with LankaPay in May 2023.

Fonepay for shops and online stores

Merchants use the Fonepay Business app to receive QR payments, see alerts (including voice notifications) and choose a settlement option: on-request withdrawal, instant settlement or multi-session settlement. Online stores can add Checkout by Fonepay, launched in 2026 and already live at INI Cinemas in October 2026.

Who owns Fonepay, and is there an IPO?

In September 2025 ten investors, including Khetan Group’s Rajendra Khetan, bought 22.23% of Fonepay for about Rs 1.49 billion, valuing the company at Rs 6.67 billion. Fonepay plans to sell 20% of its paid-up capital to the public, with NMB Capital as issue manager, and its CEO said in April 2026 that the IPO is planned for 2026.