UPI goes live in Cambodia, allowing Indian tourists to make direct payments
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Indian tourists visiting Cambodia can now make payments using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at more than four million merchant locations across the country, marking another step in India's push to expand its digital payments network globally.
The facility has been launched through a partnership between the National Payments Corporation of India's international arm, NPCI Overseas Payments Limited (NIPL), and Cambodia's ACLEDA Bank Plc.
The arrangement links India's UPI network with Cambodia's national QR payment ecosystem, KHQR, which operates under the Bakong digital payments system.
Under the new system, Indian travellers can use participating UPI-enabled apps from Indian banks and payment service providers to scan KHQR codes displayed by merchants and make instant payments directly from their linked bank accounts.
The payment process works similarly to domestic UPI transactions in India, allowing users to pay without carrying large amounts of cash or relying entirely on international debit and credit cards.
The first phase of the rollout is focused on Indian travellers in Cambodia. A later phase is expected to enable Cambodian users to make payments in India using KHQR-enabled applications at UPI merchant locations.
According to the Reserve Bank of India, efforts to connect UPI with fast payment systems in other countries are part of a broader strategy to improve cross-border payments by making them cheaper, more efficient, transparent, and accessible.
The move is expected to reduce dependence on foreign cards, lower transaction-related costs, and improve payment convenience for Indian tourists visiting destinations such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville.
With Cambodia joining the network, the list of countries where Indian travellers can use UPI for merchant payments continues to expand, strengthening the international reach of India's digital payments infrastructure.
