Niraj Sharma Takes Charge as eSewa Chief Executive Officer
Veteran banker Niraj Sharma has taken charge as the chief executive officer of eSewa Limited for a four-year term, succeeding Jagdish Khadka.
Nepal's leading digital wallet provider, eSewa Limited, has appointed veteran banker Niraj Sharma as its chief executive officer for a four-year term, effective Monday, September 28.
The company’s board of directors finalised the appointment during a meeting held on Bhadra 30 (September 15), as reported by Nagarik News and Onlinekhabar. Sharma formally assumed his executive responsibilities on Monday, succeeding Jagdish Khadka, who completed his four-year tenure at the helm of the fintech company.
Sharma brings more than 25 years of experience across the banking and financial services sectors, including a stint of approximately 18 years at Nabil Bank in multiple leadership capacities, according to The Kathmandu Post. His professional background covers card payment networks, transaction banking, retail operations, and digital system transformations.
eSewa's board expressed confidence that Sharma's technical background and administrative track record will help guide the company's next phase of market expansion and product development, Techpana reported.
Speaking in an interview with The Kathmandu Post, Sharma identified user retention, service reliability, cybersecurity, and public financial awareness as his top operational priorities. Acknowledging growing competition in the domestic digital payment landscape, Sharma said that while expanding market reach remains essential, maintaining system uptime and transaction security is critical to retaining existing users.
Sharma also addressed escalating concerns regarding digital fraud and the misuse of mule accounts. He told The Kathmandu Post that digital scams require sustained investment in cybersecurity alongside nationwide financial literacy drives, particularly in vulnerable areas. On regulatory and market shifts, he noted that central bank digital currencies aimed at wholesale transactions are unlikely to disrupt retail-focused mobile wallets, adding that wallets and commercial banks serve complementary roles.
Outgoing chief executive Jagdish Khadka had led eSewa since Ashwin 12, 2079 BS (September 28, 2022). According to company operational figures cited by Nagarik News, Onlinekhabar, and Techpana, eSewa's registered user base expanded past 14 million, while its merchant network exceeded 600,000 during Khadka’s four-year term.
Khadka's tenure also saw the introduction of several financial and utility features, including digital credit lines, Finance 360, eSewa Circle, Business Link, and integrated insurance offerings. To improve accessibility, the platform introduced Nepali language support and rolled out a 'TalkBack' voice assistant feature designed for visually impaired users, Techpana reported.
Sharma noted that he intends to review the company's internal operations and assess ongoing corporate plans, including eSewa's prospective initial public offering, once fully briefed on internal processes.