Malaysians and Indians Will Soon Have Access to Cross-Border QR Payments

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Malaysia and India will introduce two-stage QR interoperability under a new agreement between Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) and NPCI International Payments Limited.

The partnership links Malaysia’s DuitNow QR system with India’s Unified Payments Interface.

The initiative builds on earlier payment connectivity discussions between the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia.

In the first phase, Indian travellers will be required to use UPI-enabled applications to pay at participating DuitNow QR merchants across Malaysia.

The DuitNow QR network covers more than 2.9 million merchant touchpoints nationwide, including retail outlets, restaurants and tourist locations.

The second phase will allow Malaysians visiting India to scan UPI QR codes and pay using their local banking apps or e-wallets at millions of UPI QR-enabled merchant outlets.

Beyond merchant payments, the linkage is also expected to support low-cost cross-border remittances, benefiting students, small businesses and individuals who transact frequently between the two countries.

Praveen Rajan, CEO of PayNet said,

“Once enabled, the linkage between Malaysia’s DuitNow QR and India’s UPI will strengthen payment connectivity for travellers, merchants, banks and the wider financial services ecosystem.

In the context of Visit Malaysia 2026 and growing two-way travel, this collaboration contributes to broader trade and economic activity between Malaysia and India.”

Ritesh Shukla, MD and CEO of NPCI International, said,

“Under the guidance of the Government of India and Reserve Bank of India, we aim to expand the global footprint of UPI by building interoperable, real-time payment ecosystems with leading payment networks worldwide.

Our partnership with PayNet marks an important step in enabling seamless QR-based merchant payments between India and Malaysia, offering travellers a familiar, secure, and convenient payment experience.”

Malaysia is targeting more than two million Indian tourist arrivals under Visit Malaysia 2026.