Planning a trip to Bali or elsewhere in Indonesia? Soon you may be able to forget about your cash and currency exchange worries. Indian travellers to Indonesia may soon be able to use UPI to shop, eat, ride in taxis and pay other daily expenses, just like they do in India. India and Indonesia on Tuesday decided to connect their digital payment systems, which will ease the hassle of payments when you visit other countries for tourism and even businesses can ease cross-border payments. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta.
After the integration goes live, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will connect to Indonesia’s payment system. This will enable consumers in both countries to use their existing domestic payment apps to make retail payments, which will make transactions faster and easier and reduce the need to carry cash or exchange currency when they travel.
Speaking at the joint press statement, PM Modi said, “We are delighted that India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will soon be integrated with Indonesia’s payment system. This will further enhance both the ease of doing business and the ease of travel between our two countries.”
The move is expected to ease payments for tourists, business travellers and merchants by making them less dependent on cash and speeding up and facilitating cross-border transactions.
Part Of A Larger India-Indonesia Partnership
The UPI announcement was part of a larger set of pacts signed between India and Indonesia to deepen ties across a host of sectors.
The two countries signed nearly a dozen agreements in critical minerals, technology, food security, pharmaceuticals, maritime security and defence, hinting at moves to deepen economic and strategic ties.
How Will The UPI Link Benefit Travellers?
Once operational, Indian travellers in Indonesia will be able to pay directly through the UPI-enabled apps for purchases at participating merchants. Users will be able to make digital payments in a familiar way (like UPI in India) instead of carrying large amounts of local currency.
The integration is also expected to facilitate the acceptance of payments by businesses that cater to tourists and improve the overall travel experience between the two countries.
UPI’s Global Footprint Continues To Grow
Indonesia is poised to join India’s expanding UPI network as the newest country. The government has been steadily expanding UPI internationally to make digital payments more accessible to Indian travellers and businesses, while also enabling faster and cheaper cross-border transactions.
UPI earlier made its debut in Greece through a collaboration between Eurobank and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), taking the platform’s global reach to 10 countries. After France, Greece has become the latest European market to join the UPI bandwagon. The service was first introduced at the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 2024 before extending to the Galeries Lafayette in Nice in 2026.
Countries Accepting UPI Now
UPI is currently live in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece.
The list is only about to grow, as Indonesia readies to connect its payment system with UPI, bolstering India’s push to expand its digital public infrastructure beyond its borders and facilitate international payments for business and leisure travellers alike.
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Priyanka Roshan is a business writer and assistant editor at the NewsX website who tracks everything from stock market swings and corporate earnings to personal finance trends and policy shifts. Known for turning fast-moving business developments into sharp, reader-friendly stories, she combines speed, accuracy, and a data-driven approach to break down complex financial news for everyday audiences.
With over 9.5 years of newsroom experience, Priyanka has worked with leading media organisations, including Moneycontrol, Times Now, and Ping Digital, covering diverse beats such as business, politics, technology, auto, travel, sports, and the world. From live breaking news desks to SEO-led digital storytelling, she specialises in creating engaging content that keeps readers informed without overwhelming them.
