Nepal Launches E-Pension Verification System to Streamline Benefits for Retirees

Kathmandu. More than 350,000 pensioners in Nepal are no longer required to wait in long queues at government offices or banks for pension renewal. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle officially inaugurated the state-of-the-art 'E-Pension Verification' system at a program held at the Ministry of Finance.
With the implementation of this technology, 352,816 pensioners will now be able to update their annual 'Life Certificate' directly from their mobile phones or computers.

Based on the IPMS-V2 framework, this system is equipped with 'Liveness Verification' software. It was developed by 'Third Factor AI' under 'Prixa', a company active in Nepal's technology sector.
In this system, after pensioners scan their facial expressions via their mobile devices, artificial intelligence verifies that they are alive and active. The Ministry of Finance stated that this process is highly secure and reliable as the details are directly cross-referenced with the National ID database.

The use of this technology will provide significant financial benefits not only to pensioners but also to the government. Previously, the government spent an average of 150 million rupees annually in commissions to banks for the verification and distribution of pensions.
With pensioners now able to perform self-verification from home, this commission fee paid to banks will drop to zero. It is projected that this will result in a direct annual saving of 150 million rupees, reducing the burden on the state treasury.

Previously, many pensioners faced hardships due to the legal requirement to be physically present at least once a year. This system is expected to provide them with much-needed relief.

According to the Office of the Comptroller General, this system has been implemented nationwide. As pension calculations will now be fully automated, the risk of human error will be eliminated. Furthermore, it is expected to ensure transparency by preventing duplication in pension distribution and misuse of funds from inactive accounts.