Indian Travellers Can Now Pay At 4.5 Million Merchant Outlets In Cambodia – Firstpost

India’s digital payments revolution has expanded further overseas, with Indian travellers now able to use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at more than 4.5 million merchant outlets across Cambodia.

NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has partnered with Cambodia’s ACLEDA Bank Plc. to enable UPI acceptance through KHQR, the Southeast Asian nation’s national QR code payment system.

The cross-border payment linkage was officially launched in Phnom Penh in the presence of National Bank of Cambodia Governor Chea Serey and representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Under the first phase of the partnership, Indian travellers visiting Cambodia can make payments using their existing UPI-enabled applications by scanning Bakong KHQR codes. The facility will be available across tourist attractions, retail stores, restaurants and other merchant locations.

The initiative marks another step in India’s push to internationalise its homegrown digital payments ecosystem, which has transformed retail transactions within the country.

Ritesh Shukla, Managing Director and CEO of NPCI International, said the expansion reflects India’s ambition to take its digital payment innovations to global markets through trusted partnerships.

“Enabling UPI acceptance in Cambodia marks a significant milestone in this journey. It ensures that Indian travellers enjoy a familiar, secure and seamless payment experience abroad, while Cambodian merchants gain access to millions of digital-first consumers,” Shukla said.

He added that the collaboration would strengthen real-time payment connectivity between the two countries and create opportunities for deeper tourism and commercial engagement.

For Cambodian businesses, the integration is expected to provide access to a growing base of Indian travellers, improve digital payment adoption, and reduce reliance on cash transactions.

In Channy, President and Group Managing Director of ACLEDA Bank Plc. said the launch represents the first phase of cross-border payment interoperability between India and Cambodia.

“ACLEDA Bank Plc. is proud to launch Phase 1 of our cross-border interoperability initiative, enabling Indian travellers to execute secure digital transactions via UPI-enabled applications across our extensive KHQR merchant network,” he said.

The next phase of the project will allow Cambodian visitors travelling to India to use their domestic banking and payment applications at millions of UPI QR-enabled merchant locations.

The companies said the partnership would help reduce payment friction, support financial inclusion and strengthen economic ties between India and Cambodia through scalable digital infrastructure.