UPI acceptance in Cambodia launches via NPCI International and ACLEDA Bank partnership

NPCI International Payments Limited has partnered with ACLEDA Bank Plc to start Unified Payments Interface UPI acceptance in Cambodia. The rollout lets Indian travellers pay by scanning QR codes at more than 4.5 million merchants. An official statement issued on Wednesday said the plan will expand later into a two-way payments corridor.

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The first phase focuses on Indian visitors making QR payments across Cambodia using familiar payment apps. The partners said the arrangement is built to scale. A later phase is set to make the corridor fully bi-directional. That change is expected to connect UPI with Cambodia’s Bakongs KHQR network.

UPI acceptance in Cambodia to expand through Bakongs KHQR

In the next stage, Cambodian citizens travelling to India will be able to use local banking and digital payment apps. Those apps will scan UPI QR codes across India. The statement said this would complete a two-way interoperable payments network through Bakongs KHQR. The plan keeps the initial focus on inbound Indian traveller payments.

The collaboration went live after a formal ceremony in Phnom Penh. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia NBC, attended the event. Senior representatives from the Reserve Bank of India RBI were also present. The statement linked the launch to ongoing efforts to connect payment systems across borders.

UPI acceptance in Cambodia adds a ninth country to UPI network

The statement said the tie-up would improve convenience for travellers in Cambodia. It also said Cambodian merchants can gain access to real-time payments. Before Cambodia, UPI acceptance was available in eight countries. They are Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar and Sri Lanka.

With Cambodia added, UPI is now accepted in nine countries for Indian travellers. The partners said the first stage supports QR payments for Indians at scale. The planned bi-directional corridor is expected to extend similar access for Cambodian visitors in India. The statement described the overall goal as wider interoperability between both countries’ payment networks.

With inputs from PTI