Cambodia Aligns With Singapore, UAE, and More Countries to Expand UPI QR Payments for Indian Travellers Across 4.5 Million Merchant Locations, Making Cashless Holidays Simpler Than Ever – Here’s What to Know

Written By: Ankita Neogi Khan

Ankita Neogi Khan

With over 15 years of experience in digital media, I bring a strong foundation in language, journalism, and storytelling to travel reporting. A graduate in English (Honours) from Presidency College with a Master's in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Calcutta, I began my career as a content curator before transitioning into travel journalism. I specialise in aviation, tourism trends, destination news, and industry insights, combining meticulous research, accuracy, and compelling storytelling to deliver credible, engaging, and insightful content for a global audience.

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June 30, 2026 10:47 GMT+5:30

Image generated with Ai

Indian travellers heading to Cambodia can now enjoy a significantly more convenient payment experience after the Southeast Asian nation officially introduced UPI-enabled QR payments for visitors from India. Cambodia UPI payments represent another major milestone in the international expansion of India’s digital payment ecosystem, allowing Indian tourists to pay directly through familiar UPI-enabled mobile applications at more than 4.5 million merchant locations across the country. The development is expected to simplify everyday travel spending, reduce dependence on currency exchange, improve payment security and strengthen tourism as well as commercial ties between the two countries. At a time when Indian outbound tourism continues to expand across Asia, the initiative provides another compelling reason for travellers to choose Cambodia for holidays, business trips and cultural experiences.

The new payment connectivity has been introduced through a partnership between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and ACLEDA Bank Plc, marking the first phase of a wider cross-border payment corridor. While Indian visitors can immediately use UPI QR payments throughout Cambodia, the next phase will eventually allow Cambodian travellers visiting India to make payments through their domestic banking applications by scanning UPI QR codes. The rollout reflects India’s broader strategy of internationalising UPI while simultaneously supporting tourism, retail businesses and digital commerce across partner countries. For the travel industry, the announcement represents another important step towards frictionless international travel, where digital payments become as seamless as using a smartphone at home.

Cambodia becomes another major destination in UPI’s international expansion

For years, Indian tourists travelling abroad often relied on cash, foreign exchange cards or international credit cards to cover everyday expenses. While these options remain available, they typically involve exchange rate mark-ups, withdrawal fees or additional banking charges.

The launch of Cambodia UPI payments changes this experience considerably.

Indian travellers can now use supported UPI-enabled mobile applications to scan QR codes at participating Cambodian merchants, completing transactions in a familiar manner without carrying significant amounts of local currency. The service covers a wide range of tourism-related spending including restaurants, cafés, hotels, souvenir shops, supermarkets, transport providers and numerous small businesses that already accept QR payments.

The initiative has been launched through a collaboration between NPCI International Payments Limited, the overseas arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, and ACLEDA Bank Plc, one of Cambodia’s largest commercial banks. The formal launch in Phnom Penh also highlighted growing financial cooperation between the Reserve Bank of India and the National Bank of Cambodia as both countries continue strengthening digital payment infrastructure.

Importantly, this marks only the beginning of the bilateral payment corridor. Authorities have confirmed that the second phase will enable Cambodian travellers visiting India to make payments using their own domestic banking applications through UPI QR codes, creating a two-way payment ecosystem that benefits tourism and business travel in both directions.

Why Cambodia’s UPI rollout matters for Indian travellers

India has rapidly become one of Asia’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets. As increasing numbers of Indian tourists explore Southeast Asia, convenient payment options have become almost as important as visa policies and flight connectivity.

The ability to use UPI overseas delivers several practical advantages.

Instead of exchanging large amounts of cash before departure, travellers can make smaller, real-time payments throughout their journey. This reduces the risks associated with carrying cash while simplifying budgeting during holidays. Digital receipts also make expense tracking easier for leisure travellers as well as business visitors.

For Cambodia, the integration opens access to one of the world’s largest digital payments ecosystems. Indian visitors are already accustomed to QR-based transactions for everyday purchases, meaning merchants can potentially benefit from higher spending, faster checkout times and reduced cash handling costs.

The move is also expected to support Cambodia’s tourism recovery by making the destination more attractive to digitally connected travellers who increasingly expect seamless payment experiences overseas.

Cambodia UPI rollout at a glance

UPI’s expanding international footprint

The addition of Cambodia highlights how India’s digital payment infrastructure continues expanding beyond its domestic market.

Over the past few years, several countries have either integrated UPI into their payment infrastructure or established payment connectivity to serve Indian travellers. Many of these destinations receive substantial numbers of Indian tourists each year, making digital payments an increasingly valuable travel convenience.

Countries where Indian travellers can currently use UPI

Singapore shows how digital payments are transforming outbound tourism

Long before Cambodia entered the UPI network, Singapore had emerged as one of the earliest international destinations to embrace India’s digital payment system. The integration between India’s UPI platform and Singapore’s digital payment infrastructure represented an important milestone in cross-border financial connectivity.

For Indian tourists, the benefit extends beyond simple convenience. Singapore consistently ranks among the most visited overseas destinations for Indian travellers, attracting visitors for holidays, family trips, shopping, conferences and medical tourism. Being able to use familiar mobile payment applications reduces the need to exchange significant amounts of Singapore dollars before travelling and allows visitors to manage daily expenses more efficiently.

The broader payment linkage between the two countries has also supported business travellers, students and professionals making low-value transactions throughout their stay. As more retailers and service providers participate in QR-based payments, the overall visitor experience continues to improve, demonstrating how digital payment interoperability can complement modern tourism infrastructure.

Singapore’s experience provides a useful example of how seamless payment systems can strengthen destination competitiveness. Cambodia now has an opportunity to deliver a similarly frictionless experience for Indian visitors, particularly as travel demand across Southeast Asia continues to grow.

The United Arab Emirates is making cashless holidays even smoother for Indian visitors

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become one of the most important international markets for India’s digital payment ecosystem. With millions of Indian residents, frequent business travel and one of the busiest aviation corridors in the world, the UAE was a natural choice for expanding UPI acceptance beyond India.

Today, Indian travellers can use UPI-enabled applications at participating retail stores, supermarkets, restaurants, duty-free outlets and hospitality businesses across several locations in the UAE. The integration has proved particularly valuable for visitors arriving in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where digital payments are already deeply embedded in everyday commerce.

The travel advantages are significant. Tourists no longer need to rely exclusively on cash or international cards for small purchases such as metro fares, meals, café bills or shopping. Instead, they can complete transactions using the same payment interface they use at home, improving convenience while reducing currency exchange costs on smaller purchases.

The UAE also continues to strengthen its position as one of India’s largest outbound tourism markets. According to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, India consistently ranks among Dubai’s top international source markets for visitors. Easier payment options further complement the country’s extensive air connectivity, luxury hospitality sector and world-class shopping attractions.

For travel businesses, digital payment compatibility helps simplify transactions, shorten payment processing times and enhance customer satisfaction—particularly among younger travellers who increasingly expect cashless experiences.

Nepal demonstrates how UPI benefits both leisure and pilgrimage tourism

Among India’s neighbouring countries, Nepal has become one of the strongest examples of successful UPI adoption for cross-border travel.

The country’s close cultural, religious and economic relationship with India already supports millions of cross-border journeys every year. Pilgrims visiting sacred Hindu and Buddhist sites, adventure travellers heading to the Himalayas and families travelling for holidays all benefit from simplified payment options.

UPI acceptance across participating merchants means Indian visitors can pay digitally for hotels, restaurants, cafés, transport services and local shopping without carrying large amounts of Nepalese currency. The experience is particularly valuable for travellers making shorter visits, where exchanging cash often becomes an unnecessary inconvenience.

Nepal’s tourism economy has also benefited from the increasing digitisation of merchant payments. Small and medium-sized businesses serving international visitors are gradually becoming part of a broader digital financial ecosystem, improving transaction transparency while reducing dependence on physical cash.

The country illustrates how payment interoperability can support tourism growth beyond major metropolitan destinations. Whether travellers are exploring Kathmandu’s heritage sites, visiting Lumbini, trekking in the Annapurna region or travelling to Pokhara, digital payments are becoming an increasingly familiar part of the visitor experience.

How Cambodia compares with other UPI destinations

Although Cambodia is the newest addition to the international UPI network, its rollout stands out because of the scale of merchant acceptance. With more than 4.5 million participating merchant locations, Indian visitors gain access to one of the largest overseas QR payment ecosystems currently available through UPI.

Digital payments are becoming a competitive advantage for tourism destinations

For many destinations across Asia, attracting Indian visitors now involves more than expanding flight networks or simplifying visa procedures. Payment convenience has emerged as another important factor influencing traveller satisfaction.

India remains one of the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel markets, with millions of residents travelling overseas each year for leisure, business, education and religious tourism. These travellers increasingly expect the same digital convenience abroad that they enjoy at home.

Cambodia’s decision to integrate UPI reflects this changing travel landscape. By allowing Indian visitors to make secure QR-based payments using familiar mobile applications, the country not only removes a common travel inconvenience but also strengthens its appeal as an accessible and digitally friendly destination.

As additional countries continue integrating with India’s digital payment ecosystem, seamless cross-border transactions are likely to become an increasingly important feature of international tourism, complementing visa liberalisation, improved air connectivity and smart destination strategies.

A Digital Step Forward for Cambodia’s Tourism Economy

The launch of Cambodia UPI payments marks far more than a financial technology milestone. It represents another step towards creating a frictionless travel experience for one of the world’s fastest-growing outbound tourism markets. By enabling Indian visitors to make QR-based payments at more than 4.5 million merchants, Cambodia is positioning itself as a destination where convenience, security and digital innovation go hand in hand.

For Indian travellers, the benefits are immediate. Paying for hotels, restaurants, attractions, transport and shopping becomes simpler, while reducing the need to carry cash or worry about exchanging currency for everyday purchases. At the same time, Cambodian businesses gain easier access to a digitally savvy customer base that increasingly prefers mobile-first transactions.

As the planned two-way payment corridor is introduced in the coming months, travellers from both countries are expected to enjoy an even more seamless cross-border payment experience. The initiative also reinforces the growing role of digital financial connectivity in strengthening tourism, trade and economic cooperation across Asia. With UPI steadily expanding its international footprint, Cambodia’s latest move is likely to encourage other destinations to explore similar partnerships that make international travel easier, faster and more convenient.