The number of digital accounts registered for financial transactions through mobile phones has exceeded 2.1 billion in the world and the number of monthly active users has exceeded 510 million. The daily transaction amount through mobile has increased by 16 percent annually to 4.6 billion dollars.

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the umbrella organization of mobile service providers around the world, recently released the 'State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money'. According to the '

2025' survey, the amount of annual digital transactions has reached 10 trillion dollars. Mobile money was started in 2001 so that money can be deposited, sent, received, paid and other financial transactions can be done using mobile phones. 

Although it took 18 years for the number of transactions to reach 1 billion, GSMA's survey showed that this number has doubled in the last five years. According to a survey conducted in 2024, more than 1 trillion 8 billion transactions were made through mobile phones this year. According to GSMA, its total value is about 17 billion dollars. The number of transactions has increased by 20 percent and the transaction value by 16 percent. 

"In countries where financial transaction services are available through mobile phones, this has had a positive impact on the local economy and the country's gross domestic product," the report says. A rapidly expanding report pointed out.

In Nepal, the number of digital wallet accounts has reached 23.4 million 60 thousand till June 2081, according to the data of Rashtra Bank. In the financial year 2080/81, a transaction of 3 trillion 2 billion rupees was made through digital wallets, while the total number of transactions in that year was 295 million 54 million.

In the initial stage, the 'mobile money' service was mainly focused on limited services such as making payments at shops, paying utility bills, remittance (sending money) and mobile recharge, but now service providers have also started offering other financial services such as credit, savings accounts, insurance. According to GSMA, by June 2024, 44 percent of service providers have provided credit services. It has emerged as the most used additional service.

Currently 44 percent of service providers in the world provide credit services, 30 percent provide savings and 28 percent provide insurance services. It seems that most of the transactions under mobile money services are for the purpose of 'PTP' where one person sends money to another person. In this last year, there was a turnover of 6 trillion 88 billion dollars, and 1 trillion 5 billion dollars in 'merchant payment', where money is paid in supermarkets, restaurants or online stores using mobile wallets.

According to the report, international remittance is the fastest growing transaction. In 2024, $34 billion worth of international remittances were exchanged through mobile phones.

GSMA has also included Nepal's e-seva and Namaste Pay in this survey of mobile money services that are contributing to the expansion of digital financial access around the world. Giving the example of Namaste Pay in mobile bulk payment (bulk disbursement), the report says, 'Namaste Pay in Nepal has been mentioning that its specialty is providing bulk payment services at low cost. Government bodies like Nepal Telecom are using Namaste Pay for monthly salary payment of their employees. This has significantly increased the transaction value.' 

It is mentioned in the report that privately owned e-services are providing customers with automatic bill payment facility for insurance, loans and other services at specified time through 'recurring bill payment' service. Wholesale payment transactions in South Asia grew by 19 percent, indicating rapid digital financial expansion in the region, the report said. In 2024, wholesale payments equaled 97 billion dollars worldwide, while bill payments equaled 93 billion dollars.  According to the

report, by the end of 2023, the gross domestic product of countries with mobile money services increased by 7 trillion US dollars compared to the situation without mobile money. Mobile money services have contributed significantly to the economy of those countries, without the availability of such services, the GDP would not have increased so much. 

'Mobile money service has played a major role in expanding financial access and economic growth,' said Vivek Badrinath, who recently took over the post of Secretary General of GSMA, 'for its long-term success, simple and innovation-friendly policies, accessible services and empowerment programs are essential.'