Sending money from Saudi Arabia to Nepal: the payments stack
Sending SAR 750 from Saudi Arabia to Nepal cost 5.02% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 11 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Nepal typically run over connectIPS, NCHL-IPS (via National Payments Interface); between now and the end of 2027 there are 5 weekdays when banks in Saudi Arabia are closed but Nepal keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 5.02% of SAR 750 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 3.58% across 9 services |
| Banks | 11.54% across 2 services |
| Collect in Saudi Arabia | sarie (Instant Payment System), SARIE (Saudi Arabian Riyal Interbank Express, RTGS) |
| Pay out in Nepal | connectIPS, NCHL-IPS (via National Payments Interface), RTGS |
What it costs to send SAR 750
The World Bank surveyed 11 services sending from Saudi Arabia to Nepal from 21 August 2025 to 2 September 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 5.02% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 3.58% and banks 11.54%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: Saudi Arabia
- No person can operate a payment system or provide payment services in the Kingdom without a SAMA licence (Law of Payments and Payment Services, Royal Decree M/26, Article 4). source
- The Implementing Regulations (13 June 2023) apply to anyone providing payment services from an establishment in the Kingdom, holding itself out as providing them there, or inviting, inducing or marketing to persons in the Kingdom. source
- A Micro PI must not provide payment services cross-border to persons outside the Kingdom and must stay under an average monthly payment value of SAR 10 million; a provider above SAR 10 million a month is a Major PI (Article 42). Money remittance, where funds are received without a payment account being created, is listed among the services that do not constitute payment services (Article 7). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from Saudi Arabia.
The payout side: Nepal
| Payout partner | What it does in Nepal | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IME Remit | Nepal-licensed remittance company working with international remittance partners; beneficiaries collect cash at IME counters and agents (45,000+ nationwide agents), receive bank account deposits or receive into the Khalti by IME wallet. | source |
| Prabhu Money Transfer | Nepal-registered remittance company with international branches and agents, paying cash pickup against a control number and depositing directly to bank accounts at almost all Nepali financial institutions. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays out NPR to bank accounts and wallets, in real time to listed banks or next day subject to cut-off, with a maximum of NPR 2,000,000 per transaction and extra beneficiary documents required by the partner bank above NPR 1 million. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Its pay network lists Nepal among its Asia Pacific payout markets. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Nepal: launching payments in Nepal.
Payout rails in Nepal
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| connectIPS | Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL), licensed by NRB as a payment system operator | 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) | Nepal Clearing House Limited | 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 | Nepal Rastra Bank | 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 |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 5 dates when Saudi Arabia is closed and Nepal is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 27 dates when Nepal is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | Saudi Arabia | Nepal | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Open | Tihar holiday | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 10 Nov 2026 | Open | Tihar holiday | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Open | Tihar holiday | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 12 Nov 2026 | Open | Tihar holiday (day after Bhai Tika) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Open | Dhanya Purnima, Udhauli Parwa, Yomari Punhi | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Open | Christmas Day | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 30 Dec 2026 | Open | Tamu Lhosar | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 11 Jan 2027 | Open | Prithvi Jayanti (National Unity Day) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 15 Jan 2027 | Open | Maghe Sankranti (Maghi Parwa) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 19 Feb 2027 | Open | National Democracy Day | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 22 Feb 2027 | Founding Day | Open | Prefund Nepal the day before: no funding from Saudi Arabia, payouts continue |
| Mon 8 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday for financial institutions (29 Ramadan) | International Women's Day | Both closed |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr (1 Shawwal) | Gyalpo Lhosar | Both closed |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr (2 Shawwal) | Id-ul-Fitr | Both closed |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday for financial institutions (3 Shawwal) | Open | Prefund Nepal the day before: no funding from Saudi Arabia, payouts continue |
| Mon 22 Mar 2027 | Open | Phagu Purnima (Terai districts) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 14 Apr 2027 | Open | Nepali New Year 2084 | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 15 Apr 2027 | Open | Ram Navami | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (11 Dhu al-Hijjah) | Bakr Id (Id-ul-Azha) | Both closed |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha (12 Dhu al-Hijjah) | Open | Prefund Nepal the day before: no funding from Saudi Arabia, payouts continue |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha holiday for financial institutions (13 Dhu al-Hijjah) | Open | Prefund Nepal the day before: no funding from Saudi Arabia, payouts continue |
| Thu 20 May 2027 | Eid al-Adha holiday for financial institutions (14 Dhu al-Hijjah) | Buddha Jayanti | Both closed |
| Tue 17 Aug 2027 | Open | Rakshabandhan (Janai Purnima) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 18 Aug 2027 | Open | Gai Jatra (Kathmandu Valley and Newar community) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 25 Aug 2027 | Open | Shri Krishna Janmashtami | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 23 Sep 2027 | Saudi National Day | Open | Prefund Nepal the day before: no funding from Saudi Arabia, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Oct 2027 | Open | Ghatasthapana | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 6 Oct 2027 | Open | Dashain holiday (Fulpati) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 7 Oct 2027 | Open | Dashain holiday (Maha Ashtami) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 8 Oct 2027 | Open | Dashain holiday (Maha Navami) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Open | Dashain holiday (Ekadashi) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 12 Oct 2027 | Open | Dashain holiday (Dwadashi) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Open | Tihar holiday (Laxmi Puja) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 1 Nov 2027 | Open | Tihar holiday (day after Bhai Tika) | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 4 Nov 2027 | Open | Chhath Parwa | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 13 Dec 2027 | Open | Dhanya Purnima, Udhauli Parwa, Yomari Punhi | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 30 Dec 2027 | Open | Tamu Lhosar | Nepal banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: Saudi Arabia and Nepal. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Official working days for ministries, financial institutions, SAMA and the stock exchange are Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as the weekly holiday (Royal Order of June 2013). source
- Bank remittance centres work Sunday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday is a weekly holiday and Saturday is an optional working day for branches with SAMA's no-objection. source
- 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
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in Saudi Arabia, the payout partners and banks in Nepal and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Nepal balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from Saudi Arabia to Nepal?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending SAR 750 at 5.02% in Q3 2025, across 11 services. Money transfer operators averaged 3.58%.
Which rails pay out in Nepal?
Local payouts run over connectIPS, NCHL-IPS (via National Payments Interface), RTGS.
When do I need to prefund Nepal payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 5 weekdays when Saudi Arabia is closed and Nepal is open, the first on Mon 22 Feb 2027. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Holidays and Working Hours (financial institutions and RTGS, 1447H to 1450H) · Saudi Central Bank
- SAMA announces official holidays and working hours for banks and RTGS until 2029 · Saudi Gazette
- List of Holidays for 2083 B.S. (effective 14 Apr 2026 to 13 Apr 2027) · Nepal Rastra Bank
- Government and Public Holidays in 2083 · Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal
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