Kisan Saccos Introduces Digital Business Development Service on its Kisan Smart App: A First of its kind service in Cooperatives in Nepal

Kisan Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited (Kisan Saccos), located at Vijayanagar, Ward 8, Gaindakot Municipality, Nawalpur Susta East District, Gandaki Province, Nepal, has launched a Business Development Service (BDS) through its mobile app, enabling members to promote their products, skills, and aspirations by connecting them to markets using technology.

Established 31 years ago by 25 members, Kisan Saccos (Kisan Bachat) has grown into a collective movement with around 100,000 members today. Starting with rural farmers, small entrepreneurs, and homemakers, it is now one of Nepal’s exemplary cooperatives, pioneer in cooperative unification in Nepal is serving 25 unified cooperatives with a capital of 4 billion and a robust service network. The cooperative has earned ACCESS Bronze Brand Certification from the Asia-Pacific quality accreditation body, ACCESS, five times.

The latest initiative, Digital BDS, is a pioneering effort. BDS, or Business Development Service, focuses on enhancing members’ skills, managing product markets, and promoting entrepreneurship. While some institutions in Nepal have adopted the BDD concept, Kisan Saccos is the first to integrate it into a mobile app in a digital format. Members can now register their products, be it pickles, clothing, yogurt, ghee, or handicrafts and arts, directly on the app under the “Local Product” section, including product names, images, prices, and contact details. Other members or customers can browse and connect directly with producers. Products are also showcased on Kisan Saccos website, KISAN.ORG.NP.

Beyond a marketplace, this service fosters self-reliance and economic empowerment, particularly for the cooperative’s 25,000 women members and their families, who produce goods at home but struggle to access markets. Now, they can bring the market to their fingertips via the app.

The app offers more than BDS, including mobile banking, fund transfers, wallet loading, missed call banking, utility bill payments (internet, TV, telephone, electricity, water), QR-based transactions, insurance information, remittance services, bus and flight bookings, and other digital services. It provides voice notifications for transaction details, enhancing user convenience. Members can also access Kisan Saccos’ online banking services seamlessly through SMART.KISAN.ORG.NP. The app, designed to bring cooperative services to members’ hands, was developed with support from software companies Mo-Fin and Synergytech.

Kisan Saccos Chairman Bhojraj Paudel describes Digital BDS as the start of a new era, not just a technological tool. He emphasizes that cooperatives are more than financial institutions, they are shared journeys carrying community dreams. Digital BDS is a step in that journey, enabling members to showcase their skills and products globally. Members can register for the free e-passbook app to access Digital BDS easily. The cooperative will conduct regular tech education programs to support usage, and BDS-related podcasts are available on youtube and social media.

Amid a trust crisis in Nepal’s cooperative sector, with some cooperatives criticized for failing to return members’ funds, Kisan Saccos stands out for its transparency, innovation, and member-centric services. The cooperative plans to expand this service in collaboration with local governments, organizations, provincial authorities, and partners to commercialize members’ skills, crafts, and products, fostering prosperous members and a sustainable cooperative model. CEO Sanjayraj Timilsina envisions transforming service centers into business promotion units, enhancing local production and national market access.

While many cooperatives in Nepal adapted BDD similar services, Kisan Saccos is the first to deliver a systematic, institutionalized, and data-driven BDS through a mobile app, paving the way for Nepali cooperatives to enter the digital market era. Beyond commerce, this service boosts the confidence of rural members, empowering them with technology, trust, and respect.

The younger generation seeks smart services, digital access, and entrepreneurial opportunities beyond traditional savings and loans. Kisan Saccos has responded by introducing this pioneering digital cooperative BDS service, as noted by Board Member and IT subcommittee coordinator Nar Bahadur Thapa (Naresh).

This initiative will counter negativity in the cooperative sector, fostering collaboration among cooperatives, government, private sectors, and communities to simplify the journey from members’ homes to markets. Digital BDS is a step toward a digital Nepal, proving that cooperatives can be smart, digital, and capable of globalizing local products.