Nepal’s two leading digital wallets Khalti and IME Pay have decided to merge. The two entities signed a merger deal on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
An official close to the matter confirmed the merger. The source said that the companies have agreed to name the new platform “IME Khalti”. After the merger, users of both Khalti and IME Pay will get their digital wallet services on one single app. So far, both companies have not provided much detail about this milestone deal. However, according to the source, more details regarding the merger will be available soon.
Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)’s Payment and Settlement Bylaw 2077 has made arrangements for a digital wallet merger. Khalti and IME Pay are merging in accordance with the same provision.
Check out: Top Digital Wallets in Nepal | Latest 2025
Khalti-IME Pay will merge and it’s a mega deal in the market
Khalti-IME Pay merger is huge and ambitious and it could significantly affect Nepal’s fintech market. Khalti and IME Pay are both leading digital wallets. But their merger creates an even bigger market player in one form. To illustrate, IME Khalti could become a top digital wallet in Nepal.
As of now, eSewa is Nepal’s top digital wallet in terms of user base. It has 8 million users. IME Pay and Khalti are said to have 5 million and 4 million users, respectively. So, by this account, IME Khalti will boast the largest customer base for any digital wallet in Nepal. Recently, Khalti reached 5 million downloads on Play Store. Its a testament to its huge popularity and acceptance among users.
Check out: Limit of digital payment/transaction in Nepal
When will IME Khalti come into operation?
IME Khalti could start its operation very soon. NRB’s Payment and Settlement Bylaw 2077 states that after a merger, the new platform must perform its electronic transaction within a month. So, we might see IME Khalti coming live on the app store and allowing users to transact. It’s also possible that both companies update their respective app and change it to IME Khalti.
Conclusion
Khalti and IME Pay are the two leading mobile payment apps in Nepal. They are licensed payment service providers (PSPs) of Nepal. Their merger will make it Nepal’s largest digital wallet in IME Khalti. It will also give a major competition to eSewa which is currently the largest market player.
There are dozens of digital wallets in Nepal with only a few making it big. As Khalti and IME Pay merge, it’s likely to give Nepal’s fintech market a new dimension. So, it will be interesting to see how the market evolves when IME Khalti finally starts its active operation.
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What’s your opinion on Khalti-IME Pay merger? Is it going to disrupt the digital wallet market in Nepal? Do share your opinion in the comment section below.
