Systems Over Signals
ProjectsPayments in NumbersReal-time paymentsChart story28 October 2026

Twenty-seven cross-border links, and no published count of their use

Instant systems now connect across borders, mostly for tourists, and mostly around two hubs.

Cross-border links between instant payment and QR systems, by launch dateDot plot of 27 live bilateral links from December 2018 to 2026. Four are person-to-person transfer links; the rest are merchant QR links. No central bank publishes usage for any single link.20192020202120222023202420252026Filled dot: person-to-person transfers. Open dot: merchant QR payments.Grey name: one-way acceptance (travellers from one side only). Year-only launches placed mid-year.Thailand – JapanThailand – Japan: Thai QR (PromptPay) and MyPromptQR at Japanese merchants, merchant QR, one-way, launched 2018-12Cambodia – ThailandCambodia – Thailand: KHQR and Thai QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2020-02Thailand – VietnamThailand – Vietnam: Thai QR and VietQR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2021-03Singapore – ThailandSingapore – Thailand: PayNow and PromptPay, person-to-person, launched 2021-04-29Malaysia – ThailandMalaysia – Thailand: DuitNow QR and Thai QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2021-06Bhutan – IndiaBhutan – India: Bhutan merchant QR and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2021United Arab Emirates – IndiaUnited Arab Emirates – India: Mashreq NEOPAY merchant QR and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2021Indonesia – ThailandIndonesia – Thailand: QRIS and Thai QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2021-08Singapore – ThailandSingapore – Thailand: NETS QR and Thai QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2021-09Indonesia – MalaysiaIndonesia – Malaysia: QRIS and DuitNow QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2022-01India – SingaporeIndia – Singapore: UPI and PayNow, person-to-person, launched 2023-02-21Malaysia – SingaporeMalaysia – Singapore: DuitNow QR and NETS QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2023-03Cambodia – Lao PDRCambodia – Lao PDR: KHQR and LAOQR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2023-08Indonesia – SingaporeIndonesia – Singapore: QRIS and NETS QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2023-11Malaysia – SingaporeMalaysia – Singapore: DuitNow and PayNow, person-to-person, launched 2023-11Cambodia – VietnamCambodia – Vietnam: KHQR and VietQR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2023-12Hong Kong – ThailandHong Kong – Thailand: FPS QR and Thai QR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2023-12France – IndiaFrance – India: Lyra / Worldline merchant acceptance and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2024-02Mauritius – IndiaMauritius – India: Mauritius merchants / IPS app and UPI, merchant QR, two-way (travellers), launched 2024-02-12Sri Lanka – IndiaSri Lanka – India: LankaPay and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2024-02-12Thailand – Lao PDRThailand – Lao PDR: Thai QR and LAOQR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2024-04Nepal – IndiaNepal – India: Fonepay and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2024Cambodia – MalaysiaCambodia – Malaysia: KHQR and DuitNow, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2024-09Lao PDR – VietnamLao PDR – Vietnam: LAOQR and VietQR, merchant QR, two-way, launched 2025-01China (Mainland) – Hong KongChina (Mainland) – Hong Kong: IBPS and FPS, person-to-person, launched 2025-06-22Qatar – IndiaQatar – India: QNB merchant POS (NETSTARS) and UPI, merchant QR, one-way (Indian travellers), launched 2025-09Cambodia – IndiaCambodia – India: KHQR (ACLEDA) and UPI, merchant QR, one-way; reverse leg planned, launched 202627 live bilateral links. Usage published by a central bank for any single link: none.
Live bilateral links between national instant payment or QR systems, by launch date. Sources: AMRO Policy Perspectives PP/25-02 (June 2025); MAS, HKMA and Bank of Mauritius releases; press lists for India-side merchant acceptance, pending verification. Full registry on the tracker page.
Evidence grade: B (India-side dates from press lists)

Between December 2018 and 2026, national instant payment and QR systems opened 27 bilateral links across borders. Twenty-three let a traveller pay a shop by scanning the local QR code. Four let one person send money to another: Singapore and Thailand in April 2021, India and Singapore in February 2023, Malaysia and Singapore in November 2023, and Mainland China and Hong Kong in June 2025.

Two hubs carry most of them. Thailand sits on nine links, almost all two-way QR connections inside ASEAN. India also sits on nine, most of them one-way: Indian travellers pay by UPI abroad, while the reverse leg is rarely open. The large systems of Brazil, the United States, the euro area, the United Kingdom and Australia have no live bilateral link, and the Nordic P27 platform withdrew its clearing licence application in April 2023.

No central bank publishes transaction counts for any single link. The IMF reports that inbound payments through Thailand's QR links in 2024 were about five times their 2023 level, without giving the base. The next step in Asia is multilateral: Nexus would connect the systems of India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, and aims to go live by 2027.