Nepal’s digital payment ecosystem has taken another step toward international payment connectivity. NIC Asia Bank has announced that merchants using its CyberSource e-commerce payment gateway can now accept payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay. The service was announced on October 2, 2026.
What has changed?
The new facility allows eligible businesses connected to NIC Asia’s CyberSource gateway to receive payments from international customers using Visa and Mastercard cards through Apple Pay and Google Pay.
This is particularly relevant for businesses serving foreign customers, including:
- Hotels and resorts
- Airlines
- Travel and trekking companies
- Handicraft businesses
- E-commerce websites
- IT and digital service companies
According to reports, the facility is currently available to around 700 online shops, hotels, airlines and travel agencies connected with NIC Asia’s CyberSource service.
Is Apple Pay now fully available in Nepal?
Not exactly.
This distinction is important. The announcement concerns merchant-side acceptance of Apple Pay and Google Pay through an e-commerce payment gateway, particularly for international customers. It does not mean that Nepal has suddenly become a fully supported domestic Apple Pay market where Nepali users can add locally issued cards and use Apple Pay everywhere.
Apple's current official list of countries supporting Apple Pay does not list Nepal as a consumer Apple Pay market.
Google, meanwhile, lists Nepal among countries where certain Google Pay online/in-app payment features are available, but availability depends on the specific feature, payment method and merchant.
Why does this matter for Nepal?
For Nepal's tourism and digital economy, the development could make online payments easier for international customers who already use Apple Pay or Google Pay.
A foreign tourist booking a hotel, airline ticket, trekking service or other online service may be able to complete the payment using a supported wallet rather than manually entering card details.
This could also help Nepali businesses make their online checkout experience more familiar to international customers.
What happens next?
The bigger question is whether similar payment acceptance will expand to more Nepali banks and payment gateways.
For now, the development should be viewed as an expansion of international payment acceptance by participating Nepali merchants, rather than a full domestic launch of Apple Pay or Google Wallet in Nepal.
Nepal's digital payment market is already highly developed in areas such as QR payments and mobile banking. Adding more internationally familiar payment options could further connect Nepali businesses with customers from around the world.
Bottom line: Apple Pay and Google Pay have arrived at Nepal's e-commerce checkout—but, for now, primarily through participating merchants and international payment transactions rather than as a full domestic mobile-wallet rollout for Nepali consumers.
