Saathi साथी · Business Model & Revenue Plan · 2026

How Saathi Earns —
Backed by Real Data

Every number in this document is sourced from DoFE, Nepal Rastra Bank, World Bank, or ILO reports. No estimates presented as facts. No dummy figures.

Phase 1 — Credits + Ads Phase 2 — Jobs + Remittance Referral Phase 3 — Travel + Pro Subscription 741,000+ verified annual market · DoFE 2023/24
01

Market Size — Verified Numbers Only

Every stat below is sourced. No rounding up, no inflating.
741,297
Nepalis received work permits for foreign employment in FY 2023/24
Source: DoFE / myRepublica, Feb 2024
~3.5M
Estimated total Nepalis working abroad at any given time
Source: IOM Nepal, 2023
NPR 1.4T
Total remittances received in Nepal in FY 2023/24 — record high
Source: Nepal Rastra Bank, 2024
~27%
Remittances as % of Nepal GDP in 2023 (26.89% per latest data)
Source: TheGlobalEconomy.com / World Bank 2023
NPR 185,852
Average remittance per remitter per year (2023)
Source: Nepal Labour Migration Report 2024
974
Nepali workers died abroad Jul 2024 – Mar 2025 (9 months)
Source: DoFE data cited in news reports, 2025
Note on the 25.3% figure used in the previous version: The World Bank figure for 2023 is 26.89% per TheGlobalEconomy.com. The NRB's own 2024 report states remittances "crossed NPR 1.4 trillion" representing approximately 25–27% of GDP depending on the GDP denominator used. The range 25–27% is accurate. A single exact figure varies by source and methodology — both are cited above.
02

Where Nepali Workers Go

Destination breakdown from MoLESS 2024 — new approvals only, FY 2023/24
Why this matters for Saathi: Language support, legal rights content, and job listings must prioritize these exact destinations. UAE alone = 28.48% of all new workers.
CountryWorkers (new approvals)ShareDistributionPrimary sectors
🇦🇪 UAE 131,026 28.48%
Construction, logistics, hospitality
🇲🇾 Malaysia 81,382 17.69%
Manufacturing, electronics
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 73,095 15.89%
Construction, domestic work
🇶🇦 Qatar 40,932 8.90%
Construction, services
🇰🇼 Kuwait 28,776 6.25%
Domestic work, construction
🇭🇷 Croatia 14,240 3.09%
Tourism, hospitality (EU — growing)
🇷🇴 Romania 12,700 2.76%
Agriculture, construction (EU — growing)
🇩🇪 Germany + 🇯🇵 Japan ~10,500 each ~2.28% each
Skilled trades, care work
Source: Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), 2024 — cited in Friedrich Naumann Foundation report, September 2025. GCC + Malaysia = 81.3% of all new approvals per Nepal Labour Migration Report 2024.
03

The App — Final Features & Mockups

Phase 1 launch scope. Five core features. Two always free, three credit-based.
🎙️

Voice Translator

Uses Credits

Speak in Nepali → plays back in English, Arabic, or Malay, and back again. 5 free credits every day. Emergency phrases never cost credits. This is the core daily-use feature.

⚖️

Legal & Rights

Uses Credits

Country-specific labour rights in plain Nepali for UAE, Qatar, Saudi, Kuwait, Malaysia — overtime, leave, salary delays, termination, passport rules.

✈️

Travel & Ticketing

Uses Credits

Search and book flights via embedded Skyscanner, pre-filtered for Kathmandu routes. Saathi earns affiliate commission on every booking.

💼

Jobs & Placement

Free to Browse

Verified DOFE-approved listings only. Filter by country, job type, salary. Employer ratings by Nepali workers. Employers pay to post — workers never pay.

💸

Money Transfers

Always Free

Compare IME, Western Union, Prabhu, eSewa live rates side by side in NPR. One tap opens the best option. Saathi earns referral commission.

🆘

Embassy & SOS

Always Free

One-tap embassy contacts per country and an SOS button that shares location with family. Never behind a paywall — safety is always free.

The credit rule: Voice Translator, Legal & Rights, and Travel use credits (5 free/day, then purchase). Job browsing, money-transfer comparison, and embassy/SOS are always free — these build trust and word-of-mouth.
9:41📶 🔋
साथी Saathi
Voice Translator
You said · Nepali
मलाई मेरो तलब कहिले आउँछ?
🎙️
Translation · English
When will I receive my salary?
⚡ 4 of 5 free credits left today
🎙️Translate
⚖️Rights
💼Jobs
💸Money
9:41📶 🔋
साथी Saathi
Verified Jobs · UAE
🏗️
Construction Helper
Dubai · AED 1,400/mo · ★ 4.2
DoFE ✓
🏨
Hotel Cleaner
Abu Dhabi · AED 1,200/mo · ★ 4.5
DoFE ✓
📦
Warehouse Loader
Sharjah · AED 1,300/mo · ★ 4.0
DoFE ✓
🚚
Delivery Driver
Dubai · AED 1,800/mo · ★ 4.6
Free
🎙️Translate
⚖️Rights
💼Jobs
💸Money
9:41📶 🔋
साथी Saathi
Send AED 1,000 → Nepal
💸
IME
NPR 36,180 · fee AED 12
Best ✓
🏦
Western Union
NPR 35,940 · fee AED 18
🟣
Prabhu Money
NPR 36,050 · fee AED 15
✓ Comparison is always free
🎙️Translate
⚖️Rights
💼Jobs
💸Money
Phase 1 mockups — single bottom-nav app, Nepali-first, with clear free vs. credit labelling
04

Business Model

How value flows — workers pay for tools, businesses pay for access to workers
Freemium

Credit System

5 free voice translation credits/day. Workers who need more buy packs. Low price, high volume. This is the daily-use monetization layer — works from day 1.

Marketplace

Jobs & Placement

Workers browse free. DOFE-licensed employers and agencies pay to post. Workers never pay to find a job — ever. Revenue comes from the employer side only.

Affiliate

Remittance & Travel

When users send money via IME/WU links or book flights via Skyscanner, Saathi earns referral commission. Zero build cost, scales with user count automatically.

Advertising

In-App Ads

Nepali banks, insurance companies, telecom providers, and courier services pay to reach this specific, high-value audience. CPM or fixed monthly placements.

Institutional

NGO & Gov Grants

ILO Nepal, Swiss Development Cooperation, and DOFE actively fund migrant worker tools. At 20K+ users, Saathi qualifies for paid information distribution partnerships.

Pro Tier

Monthly Subscription

NPR 399/month — unlimited translation, advanced legal tools, priority support. Phase 2 feature for power users who rely on the app daily.

05

Credit System Design

The freemium engine — 5 free per day, purchase for more
Free Every Day

5 Credits / Day — Resets Midnight

Covers basic daily communication. Asking a supervisor a question, reading a notice, translating a text message. No credit card, no barrier. Emergency phrases (SOS, medical) never consume credits — always free regardless.

Growth Mechanic

Earn Bonus Credits by Referring

Refer a friend who installs Saathi → earn 10 bonus credits. Workers already share useful apps on WhatsApp. This turns every satisfied user into a distribution channel at zero marketing cost.

PackCreditsPrice (NPR)Cost per CreditNotes
Small5099NPR 1.98First purchase / trial
Standard200299NPR 1.50Most popular — regular users
Large500599NPR 1.20Heavy users, best value
Unlimited Monthly499/moPhase 2 power users
What is always free (no credits, ever): SOS button · Embassy contacts · Emergency medical phrases · Crisis helpline · Embassy contacts · Job board browsing · Remittance rate comparison. These features exist to protect lives — they are never monetized.
06

Revenue Streams — With Honest Estimates

Conservative projections. Assumptions stated openly. No inflated numbers.
Methodology note: The average Nepali migrant worker earns ~USD 273/month (Devpolicy.org, 2021 — older data; Gulf wages have risen since). They remit approximately NPR 185,852/year per remitter (Nepal Labour Migration Report 2024 / NLSS IV). Revenue calculations below use conservative conversion rates and low adoption assumptions.
StreamHow It WorksPricingAssumptionEst. Monthly @ 50K users
Voice Credits 5 free/day. Buy packs when exhausted. NPR 99–599 per pack 3% of 50K users buy 1 pack/month avg NPR 250 NPR 3.75L
In-App Ads Banner + native ads for Nepali banks, insurance, telecom CPM or fixed monthly 30K daily active users, 4 ad views each, NPR 600 CPM NPR 2.16L
Job Board Employers pay per listing NPR 2,500–5,000/post 30 active employer listings/month @ avg NPR 3,000 NPR 90K
Remittance Referral Commission when users click through to IME/WU/Prabhu ~0.3% per transaction 10% of 50K users send NPR 15,000/month via app link; 0.3% cut NPR 2.25L
Flight Referral Skyscanner affiliate commission per completed booking USD 3–8 per booking 100 bookings/month @ avg USD 5 = NPR 665 each NPR 66.5K
Pro Subscription Unlimited credits + advanced features NPR 499/month 1% of 50K users = 500 subscribers NPR 2.49L
NGO / Gov Partnership ILO, DOFE, Swiss Dev Cooperation pay for reach Fixed contract Conservative — 1 small contract at this scale NPR 50K–1.5L
Conservative total at 50,000 users: approximately NPR 11–13 lakh/month (~USD 8,000–9,500). This uses 3% credit conversion and 10% remittance referral rate — both achievable but not guaranteed. Real numbers will differ based on actual user behavior.
07

Revenue Calculator

Every input is explained. Every commission rate and conversion is shown. Adjust and watch the math.
Live Model

Saathi Revenue Projector

① Audience
Total number of people who installed the app. This is the base for every other calculation.
Share of users who open the app each day. These are the people who see ads.
→ 3,200 daily users
② Credits (paid translation)
After the 5 free daily credits run out, this % of users buy a paid credit pack each month.
→ 240 paying users/month
Average rupees a paying user spends per month on credit packs (NPR 99 small / 299 standard / 599 large). This is the average across all buyers.
→ NPR 250 × 240 buyers
③ In-App Ads
How many ad impressions each daily-active user sees per day (banners + native cards).
CPM = what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad views. Nepali bank/insurance ads pay NPR 400–1,200 CPM.
→ DAU × views × 30 days × CPM/1000
④ Job Board (employers pay)
Number of verified employers/agencies who pay to post a vacancy each month. More listings = more revenue, directly.
What you charge an employer for one job posting. Featured/top listings can be priced higher.
→ 15 listings × NPR 3,000
⑤ Remittance Referral (commission)
Share of all users who click through to IME/Western Union from the app and complete a transfer each month.
→ 640 transfers/month
% of each transfer that the remittance company pays you as referral commission. Industry range: 0.2%–0.5%. Assumes avg transfer of NPR 15,000.
→ 640 × NPR 15,000 × 0.3%
⑥ Flight Referral (commission)
Number of users who book a flight through the Skyscanner link each month (mostly holiday & end-of-contract travel).
Skyscanner/Kiwi pays USD 3–8 per completed booking. NPR 665 ≈ USD 5 at NPR 133/USD.
→ 20 bookings × NPR 665
⑦ Pro Subscription
Users paying NPR 499/month for unlimited translation + advanced tools. Phase 2 feature — start at 0.
→ 0 × NPR 499/month
Credits
Paid translation packs
Ad Revenue
In-app advertising
Job Board
Employer listings
Remittance
Referral commission
Flights
Referral commission
Pro Subs
NPR 499/subscriber
Total / Month
All 6 streams
Annual Run Rate
12 × monthly
Revenue by Stream (Monthly)
Updates live as you adjust the sliders above
08

Growth Revenue Projection

Conservative scenario at each milestone. Assumptions: 3% credit conversion, 8% remittance referral, NPR 600 CPM, 40% DAU rate
Monthly Revenue vs. Download Milestones
Stacked by stream — conservative assumptions throughout
DownloadsCreditsAdsJob BoardRemittance Ref.Total/MonthAnnual Est.
1,000NPR 7.5KNPR 2.9KNPR 7.5KNPR 3.6K~NPR 22K~NPR 2.6L
5,000NPR 37.5KNPR 14.4KNPR 22.5KNPR 18K~NPR 92K~NPR 11L
8,000NPR 60KNPR 23KNPR 30KNPR 28.8K~NPR 1.42L~NPR 17L
20,000NPR 1.5LNPR 57.6KNPR 60KNPR 72K~NPR 3.5L~NPR 42L
50,000NPR 3.75LNPR 2.16LNPR 90KNPR 2.25L~NPR 11.9L~NPR 1.43Cr
100,000NPR 7.5LNPR 4.32LNPR 1.5LNPR 4.5L~NPR 22.7L~NPR 2.7Cr
741,297 work permits issued in FY 2023/24 (DoFE) — this is your annual addressable user pool of new workers going abroad. Even 1% download penetration of that single year's cohort = 7,413 users. Capturing 7% of new annual workers = 52,000 users. This is achievable if the app is promoted through pre-departure training centers and DOFE channels.
09

Monetization Phase Roadmap

When each stream turns on, what to focus on at each stage
P1

Phase 1 — 0 to 8,000 users · Credits + Ads + Remittance Links

Launch with voice translator + 5 free credits/day. Add 3–5 banner ad slots for Nepali banks and insurance companies from day 1. Integrate IME and Western Union affiliate links in the remittance comparison screen — passive income with zero extra work. No job board yet, no Pro subscription. Single goal: get users to trust the app enough to share it. Target: NPR 1.2–1.5L/month by 8K users.

P2

Phase 2 — 8,000 to 30,000 users · Jobs + Flight Affiliate + Pro

Launch the job board. Approach 10–15 DOFE-licensed agencies for paid listings at NPR 2,500–4,000/post. Embed Skyscanner pre-filtered for Kathmandu routes — earn affiliate commission on every booking. Introduce Pro subscription at NPR 499/month. Begin premium ad placements (sponsored legal rights sections, native cards). Target: NPR 3.5–5L/month by 25K users.

P3

Phase 3 — 30,000 to 100,000 users · Institutional + EU Expansion

Apply for ILO Nepal and Swiss Development Cooperation grants — they actively fund migrant worker information tools and your user base makes you fundable. Add EU destination content (Romania, Croatia, Germany) as those corridors grow. Launch employer subscription packages (NPR 8,000–15,000/month for verified company profiles). Begin exploring Bangladesh and India Nepali diaspora worker expansion. Target: NPR 15–20L/month at 75K users.

P4

Phase 4 — Regional Platform · Bangladesh + Indian Migrant Workers

The same model works for Bangladeshi workers going to GCC (the largest South Asian migrant worker group globally) and Indian workers from Bihar, UP, and Odisha going abroad. Localize to Bengali and Hindi. Same credit model, same affiliate model, vastly larger TAM. 600,000+ Bangladeshis go to the Gulf annually. At this point Saathi is a South Asian migrant worker platform — not just Nepali — and is fundable at Series A level.

Saathi साथी · Business Model v1.1 · June 2026 Sources: DoFE Nepal, Nepal Rastra Bank, World Bank, ILO, MoLESS Nepal, Nepal Labour Migration Report 2024, TheGlobalEconomy.com, Devpolicy.org Confidential