Prefunding NPR payouts in Nepal
Prefunding payouts in Nepal means holding NPR with a payout partner or a local settlement account before transfers are paid, so recipients are paid without waiting for funds to arrive. Payouts run over connectIPS and NCHL-IPS (via National Payments Interface). There are 28 weekday bank closures in Nepal in the next 12 months to fund around. The rules and timings below are the ones that decide how much to hold and when to top up.
Funding rules and timing in Nepal
- A licensed remittance company must bring foreign currency into Nepal from abroad as pre-funding through the banking system. If it pays beneficiaries before reimbursement, it must hold an unconditional foreign currency guarantee from a foreign bank, or a cash deposit from the foreign partner, covering the entire amount, and be reimbursed in foreign currency. source
- Remittance companies must take their commission in foreign currency, and foreign currency received as remittance can be held in a foreign currency account at a bank or financial institution until the time NRB prescribes. source
- From 6 April 2026 NRB directed all licensed banks and financial institutions and Nepal Clearing House Limited to close on Saturdays and Sundays, with office hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday (9:00 am to 4:00 pm from Kartik 16 to Magh 15). source
- NCHL-IPS credits land only after nostro settlement at NRB in the 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM sessions, while real-time connectIPS transfers through NPI are capped at NPR 2 million per interbank transaction. source
- The rupee depreciated 10.9% against the US dollar between mid-July 2025 and mid-July 2026, with the buying rate moving from Rs. 137.0 to Rs. 153.72. source
The rails that spend the prefund
| Rail | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|
| connectIPS | Real-time account-to-account transfers available 24x7. Regular per-transaction limits are NPR 2,000,000 on web, NPR 200,000 on the mobile app and NPR 50,000 through PSPs; between 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM the web limit is NPR 200,000 per transaction. Banks can set lower limits. | source |
| NCHL-IPS (via National Payments Interface) | Non-real-time direct credits: the debit is immediate but beneficiary accounts are credited once nostro settlement completes at NRB, currently in sessions at 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM. NPI exposes both connectIPS and NCHL-IPS through APIs, with a batch limit of 10,000 transactions. | source |
| RTGS | Hosted by NRB for high-value and urgent interbank payments and net settlement of other systems, supporting NPR, USD, EUR, GBP and JPY, with the business-day schedule set by NRB's RTGS operating procedure. | source |
Where the prefund sits
Money for Nepal payouts is usually held with one or more of these, each a balance to watch. The full shortlist, with sources, is on the Nepal payments stack page.
| Payout partners | IME Remit, Prabhu Money Transfer, Nium, Thunes |
| Local banking and settlement accounts | Nabil Bank (Nabil Remit), Global IME Bank (Global Remit) |
Bank closures to fund around
Weekdays in the next 12 months when banks in Nepal are closed. Top up before each one.
| Date | Holiday | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Tihar holiday | confirmed |
| Tue 10 Nov 2026 | Tihar holiday | confirmed |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Tihar holiday | confirmed |
| Thu 12 Nov 2026 | Tihar holiday (day after Bhai Tika) | confirmed |
| Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Dhanya Purnima, Udhauli Parwa, Yomari Punhi | confirmed |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | confirmed |
| Wed 30 Dec 2026 | Tamu Lhosar | confirmed |
| Mon 11 Jan 2027 | Prithvi Jayanti (National Unity Day) | confirmed |
| Fri 15 Jan 2027 | Maghe Sankranti (Maghi Parwa) | confirmed |
| Fri 19 Feb 2027 | National Democracy Day | confirmed |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | International Women's Day | confirmed |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Gyalpo Lhosar | confirmed |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Id-ul-Fitr | expected |
| Mon 22 Mar 2027 | Phagu Purnima (Terai districts) | confirmed |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027 | Nepali New Year 2084 | expected |
| Thu 15 Apr 2027 | Ram Navami | expected |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Bakr Id (Id-ul-Azha) | expected |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Buddha Jayanti | expected |
| Tue 17 Aug 2027 | Rakshabandhan (Janai Purnima) | expected |
| Wed 18 Aug 2027 | Gai Jatra (Kathmandu Valley and Newar community) | expected |
| Wed 25 Aug 2027 | Shri Krishna Janmashtami | expected |
| Fri 1 Oct 2027 | Ghatasthapana | expected |
| Wed 6 Oct 2027 | Dashain holiday (Fulpati) | expected |
| Thu 7 Oct 2027 | Dashain holiday (Maha Ashtami) | expected |
| Fri 8 Oct 2027 | Dashain holiday (Maha Navami) | expected |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Dashain holiday (Ekadashi) | expected |
| Tue 12 Oct 2027 | Dashain holiday (Dwadashi) | expected |
| Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Tihar holiday (Laxmi Puja) | expected |
Full list and notes: Nepal bank holidays.
Corridors into Nepal
| Corridor | Average cost to send | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar to Nepal | 4.0% | Q3 2025 |
| Saudi Arabia to Nepal | 5.02% | Q3 2025 |
| UAE to Nepal | 3.41% | Q3 2025 |
| United Kingdom to Nepal | 2.9% | Q3 2025 |
| United States to Nepal | 4.41% | Q3 2025 |
Costs are World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide averages for sending the equivalent of US$200.
Size the prefund
Hold enough NPR to cover payouts for your lead time plus every closure in that window, then top up when runway drops below target. The corridor runway calculator does the arithmetic; the glossary explains prefunding, corridor runway and liquidity buffers.
Where Polynopsis fits
Polynopsis shows the NPR balance at every partner and account that funds Nepal payouts, next to the payouts expected against it and the top-ups already in flight, and warns before the corridor runs dry, including ahead of Nepal bank holidays.
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator