Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) have agreed to facilitate cross-border QR code payments between Malaysia and India.
The arrangement links Malaysia’s national payments infrastructure with the international subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, allowing consumers in both countries to use their domestic payment applications for transactions while travelling.
The implementation will take place in two stages. During the initial phase, travellers from India will be able to make payments in Malaysia using UPI-enabled applications at participating DuitNow QR acceptance points nationwide. DuitNow QR, managed by PayNet, serves as Malaysia’s national QR framework and is accepted by more than 2.9 million merchants across the country, including retail outlets, dining establishments and tourist destinations.
“This agreement reflects how the national payments infrastructure can support everyday cross-border payments at scale,” Praveen Rajan, CEO of PayNet, stated.
“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 subsequent phase, Malaysian visitors to India will be able to pay by scanning UPI QR codes through their banking applications or digital wallets at millions of merchant locations that support the UPI standard.
The two organisations indicated that the linkage is intended to enhance interoperability between their respective real-time retail payment systems and to support routine cross-border transactions. The initiative is also positioned to accommodate increasing travel flows between the two countries, including Malaysia’s preparations for Visit Malaysia 2026, and to facilitate spending by visitors at local businesses.
“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,” Ritesh Shukla, MD and CEO of NPCI International, commented.
“This collaboration reinforces our commitment to simplifying cross-border payments while strengthening digital and economic connectivity between the two countries.”
Beyond tourism, the integration is expected to improve payment connectivity for financial institutions and service providers in both markets, contributing to broader commercial exchange and economic activity between Malaysia and India.
