Banking News – Manoj Ghimire,CEO of Smart Choice Technologies (SCT), represented Nepal and South Asia at the prestigious UnionPay International Southeast Asia and South Pacific Regional Council Meeting 2025. The high-level gathering brought together top leaders from the global payments industry to discuss emerging trends and future directions of digital finance.

At the event, Ghimire joined a distinguished panel that included senior executives from DBS Singapore, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and the Institute of International Finance (IIF). The discussion focused on the transformative role of technology in shaping the payments ecosystem across Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Representing Nepal and the South Asian region, Ghimire highlighted four key themes driving transformation in payments:

• AI in Payments – reshaping fraud detection, risk management, and customer personalization.
  
• Mobile Tap & Pay & Tokenization – advancing secure, mobile-first financial experiences.
  
• Credit Instruments – expanding opportunities through Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), digital credit, and revolving credit.
  
• Cross-Border Payments – enhancing interoperability to strengthen remittance-driven economies and regional trade.
  

Industry experts agreed that the convergence of technology, trust, and collaboration will be critical in moving towards a more inclusive, secure, and borderless payments ecosystem.

Ghimire expressed that the platform provided by UnionPay International was an opportunity to share South Asia’s growing influence in the digital payments landscape and reaffirmed SCT’s vision of driving digital transformation in Nepal’s financial sector.

The UnionPay International Southeast Asia and South Pacific Regional Council Meeting 2025 served as a strategic platform for exchanging ideas and strengthening cooperation among global and regional leaders, underscoring Asia’s pivotal role in the future of payments.