CAN Federation Submits Policy Recommendations for E-Commerce Directory 2025 in Nepal

Focus on data security, simplified business registration, ‘safe harbor’ protection, and international payment access

Kathmandu – The Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) Federation, the umbrella organization for Nepal’s information technology sector, has submitted its official policy recommendations for the proposed ‘E-Commerce Directory 2025’ to the Information Technology Development Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Chiranjivi Adhikari, Senior Vice President of CAN Federation and cyber security expert, presented the recommendations, emphasizing the need to make Nepal’s digital marketplace safe, user-friendly, and universally accessible.

According to Adhikari, the development of Nepal’s e-commerce sector requires three key pillars:

Security: The government should go beyond data protection and define national minimum security standards. Platforms meeting these standards should be awarded a ‘trust seal’ to build consumer confidence.

Simplicity: To reduce bureaucratic hurdles in business registration, CAN proposed an integrated API-based registration system. This system would automatically transmit PAN, VAT, and OCR information to relevant government portals.

Fair Penalties: The Federation suggested removing the 3–5 year jail terms proposed in the draft for platform failures and replacing them with financial penalties according to violation category to avoid creating a climate of fear for startups.

CAN also recommended extending the current 35-day registration period for small and medium enterprises to a 90-day technical assistance period. In addition, the Federation called for a ‘safe harbor’ provision so platforms are not held responsible for errors in products if they have conducted proper vetting of vendors.

To make Nepalese e-commerce globally competitive, CAN emphasized the need to address international digital payment challenges. They proposed forming a dedicated task force in coordination with the Nepal Rastra Bank and related authorities and suggested reducing fees for small digital transactions.

The initiative was welcomed by Shakti Kumar Begani, Chair of the Information Technology Development Committee of FNCCI, and the committee’s Co-Chair, who described CAN Federation’s recommendations as timely and constructive.

CAN Federation concluded that the E-Commerce Directory should not merely serve as a regulatory document but should function as a partnership framework to build Digital Nepal.