India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) developer, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is in talks to expand cross-border payments to additional countries. Multiple outlets report that NPCI’s chief executive says the company is looking at markets that include the Indian diaspora, as part of its growth strategy.
The reports add that NPCI is engaging with authorities in several countries, including Japan, Malaysia and Bahrain, to explore connections for cross-border transactions. Both outlets describe this process as requiring coordination beyond commercial discussions, with each government and central bank having the final say.
While the coverage aligns on the countries being discussed and the focus on cross-border expansion, it emphasizes slightly different aspects: one outlet frames the effort explicitly as targeting diaspora demand, while the other focuses on NPCI’s cross-border expansion talks and the role of regulators. Both agree that geopolitical and regulatory considerations are central to whether and how UPI could operate internationally.
