NEPAL BANS : ''CHINESE DIGITAL WALLETS''

KATHMANDU : Nepal said Tuesday it has banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and  WeChat to prevent the loss of foreign currency earnings from tens of thousands of Chinese tourists.

Over 150,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited Nepal last year, many using digital wallets to pay to hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas - especially in Chinese-run businesses.

Laxmi Prapanna Niroula, a spokesman for the country's central bank which announced the ban on Monday, said that Nepal was losing out since the actual transactions took place in China.

''We have enforced a ban on AliPay and WeChat Pay because the country is losing foreign currency earnings through its usage. Action will be taken if anyone is found using the platforms,'' Niroula told AFP.