Nepal’s leading digital wallet eSewa celebrates its 16th anniversary today on January 25, 2025. Now, the company marks yet another milestone year reflecting on its innovation and evolution to become a top mobile payment vendor and shares its plan for the future. We have more below.
The company has seen meteoric growth in its 16 years of service with tremendous growth seen after the Covid-19 lockdown. The wallet has been a key hand in growing a digital economy and promoting financial access across the country.
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Reflecting on eSewa’s digital transformation at its 16th anniversary
“Starting off with the concept of cashless economy was no less than a dream,” eSewa says, however, “with the beta launch of service in 2009, the concept came into being on January 15, 2010.”
The Nepali economy lacked electronic payment. So, consumers, businesses, and traders all faced difficulties with cash payment. It is not wrong entirely but hassle-filled and time-consuming too.
Esewa adds that the idea for a digital wallet was unique and challenging at the same time. Due to the lack of internet access, in rural areas, cash-based payment also suffered from fear of robbery and looting. So, the electronic mobile payment cashed in on these shortcomings.
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eSewa changed the way we pay
With the launch of the eSewa digital wallet, the company brought transformation in the way people pay for their goods and services. The market suddenly had a new and extremely convenient way of paying. The transaction went from line to online.
Esewa says that earning the trust of the consumers was also not an easy thing, however, the company successfully earned the faith and realized the dream of digitalizing people’s payment behavior. And in the years of its growth, eSewa not only became one of the top digital wallets, but created a legacy and dominates the market.
From beta on desktop to mobile payment
In 2009, the beta version of eSewa was accessible only on desktop but later, the app came for smartphone users furthering its digital transformation contributions to the national economy.
Later in 2012, eSewa became a separate entity away from F1Soft and began services with even more authority. The same year, the company began an agent network. Buddha Air is its first official merchant. Fast forward to 2025, thousands of eSewa users book their flight tickets via eSewa.
Then in 2017, eSewa received a license from Nepal Rastra Bank as a payment service provider (PSP). After the COVID-19 lockdown, eSewa saw an extraordinary acceptance among the public as cashless mobile transactions saw the biggest growth compared to previous users.
It’s also safe to say that eSewa played a profound role in helping to spread COVID-19 with contactless payment.
eSewa provides mobile balance top-up, utility bills, flight ticket booking, bus ticket purchase, payment for hotel booking, Mero Share and Demat Account, bluebook renewal, etc. In essence, eSewa provides payment services for over 2000 services.
With its electronic payment, the company has reduced CO2e emissions of 7,209,698.726 kg.
The company provides a million users facility to pay for their electricity bills. That also means that it’s saved a million of receipts, ink, and energy that would have been used for the physical bills.
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eSewa Now
eSewa has a user base of over 8 million across Nepal. It’s likewise, available across Nepal. As of now, the company is also employing over 450 individuals. The company has also introduced AI Chatbot eVA that helps customers with electronic payment. The company has also introduced easy loans for its merchants.
As of now, the company has a strong network of 49 banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to facilitate users with mobile payments. eSewa users can send their money to these partner banks while also loading the amount into their eSewa account.
eSewa in the future
On the occasion of the eSewa 16th anniversary, the company has shared its future plans giving an outlook on how its services would evolve while still maintaining its essential services. The company will soon launch saving and investment schemes to promote users’ financial aspects. Additionally, the company also wants to provide easy loan service which has so far been exclusive to the merchants. These services will offer more financial flexibility to the users.
The company will also employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect any possible attempts of scams. Using advanced technology, the company wants to grow together with customers embracing the theme of “spending, saving, and growing economy”.
The company says, “eSewa commits to supporting the financial upliftment of its customers. For users, eSewa is now not just a digital wallet app, but also a financial companion that teaches them to live a comfortable lifestyle.” In other words, it says that using eSewa is “a good financial habit”.