# UPI-KHQR

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/upi-khqr
> research date 2026-06-03 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [NIPL & ACLEDA Bank Launch UPI Acceptance In Cambodia Through KHQR — FintechBizNews](https://www.fintechbiznews.com/fintech-digital-payment-/nipl-acleda-bank-launch-upi-acceptance-in-cambodia-through-khqr)
- [Indian travellers can now make UPI payments at over 4.5 mn merchant outlets in Cambodia — ANI](https://aninews.in/news/business/indian-travellers-can-now-make-upi-payments-at-over-45-mn-merchant-outlets-in-cambodia-npci20260602165959/)

## Overview

The **UPI-KHQR Linkage** enables Indian travellers to pay at Cambodian merchants by scanning **KHQR**, Cambodia's national and interoperable QR code standard, using their existing UPI apps <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>. It was launched in Phnom Penh on **2 June 2026** by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of India's National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), in partnership with **ACLEDA Bank Plc.** <sup>[1][1]</sup>. KHQR is the QR system underpinning Cambodia's **Bakong** payment platform, operated by the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC); the corpus records KHQR as an EMV-compliant national QR standard with cross-border acceptance across multiple countries <sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>. India's own corpus had flagged the Cambodia UPI link as planned for H2 2026 <sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.

## History

The linkage was launched at a formal ceremony in **Phnom Penh on 2 June 2026**, attended by **H.E. Dr. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC)**, along with representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) <sup>[1][1]</sup>. The launch was delivered through a partnership between **NIPL** and **ACLEDA Bank**, Cambodia's largest bank and a KHQR operator <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>. The initiative is part of the RBI's broader strategy of interlinking UPI with fast payment systems in other countries to promote efficient cross-border transactions, in line with the G20 roadmap for cheaper, faster, more transparent, and more accessible international payments <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Cambodia's report had earlier listed an India UPI link as planned for H2 2026, consistent with the June 2026 go-live <sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.

## Technical specification

**Linkage model.** This is a **merchant-QR acceptance** linkage: an Indian traveller opens a UPI app and scans the **KHQR** code displayed at a Cambodian merchant to complete payment <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>. KHQR is Cambodia's standard and interoperable QR system tied to the Bakong platform <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.

**QR interoperability.** UPI apps are made interoperable with KHQR, allowing UPI users to transact against KHQR merchant codes that settle in real time through Bakong; KHQR is documented as EMV-compliant in the corpus <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.

**Coverage and direction.** At launch, Indian travellers could pay at **more than 4.5 million merchant outlets** across tourist attractions, restaurants, and retail outlets <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>. The first phase is one-directional (Indians paying in Cambodia); a subsequent phase will let Cambodian visitors pay at UPI-QR-enabled merchants in India using their Cambodian banking/payment apps <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Use cases

- **Tourist merchant payments (inbound to Cambodia).** The launch phase lets Indian travellers pay Cambodian merchants by scanning KHQR, without cash or currency exchange at the point of sale <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>.
- **Reverse direction (planned).** A later phase will enable Cambodian visitors to India to pay at UPI-QR-enabled Indian merchants using their Cambodian apps <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- **Merchant benefits.** Cambodian merchants gain access to Indian digital consumers and improved cash management via real-time settlement <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Implementations

The Cambodian acquiring partner is **ACLEDA Bank Plc.**, with the **National Bank of Cambodia** as the platform authority for Bakong/KHQR <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>. On the Indian side, **NIPL** manages the UPI international connection <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Indian consumers use their standard UPI apps; Cambodian acceptance runs through the existing Bakong/KHQR merchant network of 4.5 million+ outlets <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Comparison

UPI-KHQR follows the same **merchant-QR acceptance** model as the UPI-LankaQR (Sri Lanka) linkage — Indian travellers scan a foreign national QR to pay merchants — rather than the two-way account-to-account remittance model of **UPI-PayNow** (India–Singapore) <sup>[1][1]</sup>. It is a **bilateral** linkage between NIPL and a domestic partner (ACLEDA/NBC), distinct from joining the multilateral Nexus Global Payments hub, and far narrower in scope than the UPI-TIPS euro-area settlement effort <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Cambodia already operates cross-border QR links with several ASEAN countries plus Japan and Korea, making the India link one of many KHQR corridors <sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.

## Fun facts

- Cambodia's KHQR runs on the **Bakong** platform, built on blockchain technology (Hyperledger Iroha, with Soramitsu), giving the India link a blockchain-settled acceptance side <sup>[Cambodia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KH)</sup>.
- The launch immediately exposed Indian UPI users to **4.5 million** Cambodian merchant outlets in a single go-live <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Status

**Live (Phase 1)** since 2 June 2026, covering Indian travellers paying at 4.5 million+ Cambodian KHQR merchants; the reverse direction (Cambodian visitors paying in India) is **announced** for a subsequent phase <sup>[1][1]</sup><sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1] [NIPL & ACLEDA Bank Launch UPI Acceptance In Cambodia Through KHQR](https://www.fintechbiznews.com/fintech-digital-payment-/nipl-acleda-bank-launch-upi-acceptance-in-cambodia-through-khqr) — FintechBizNews, 2026
[2] [Indian travellers can now make UPI payments at over 4.5 mn merchant outlets in Cambodia: NPCI](https://aninews.in/news/business/indian-travellers-can-now-make-upi-payments-at-over-45-mn-merchant-outlets-in-cambodia-npci20260602165959/) — ANI, 2026
[3] [UPI expands international presence to Cambodia through KHQR linkage](https://www.business-standard.com/finance/news/upi-expands-international-presence-to-cambodia-through-khqr-linkage-126060200943_1.html) — Business Standard, 2026

[1]: https://www.fintechbiznews.com/fintech-digital-payment-/nipl-acleda-bank-launch-upi-acceptance-in-cambodia-through-khqr
[2]: https://aninews.in/news/business/indian-travellers-can-now-make-upi-payments-at-over-45-mn-merchant-outlets-in-cambodia-npci20260602165959/
[3]: https://www.business-standard.com/finance/news/upi-expands-international-presence-to-cambodia-through-khqr-linkage-126060200943_1.html

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._

## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country

- India–Cambodia