India’s government and central bank are reportedly in discussions with Ant International, the overseas arm of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, about integrating Alipay+ with the country’s instant payments system for cross-border transactions, according to two government sources familiar with the matter.
If implemented, the move could allow Indian tourists to make payments more conveniently abroad, enabling them to use India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at merchants in other countries that accept Alipay+. This could be a significant step toward facilitating international transactions for Indian travelers and promoting greater interoperability between domestic and global payment platforms.
The sources, who declined to be identified, said the discussions are still ongoing and have not been publicly disclosed. India’s finance ministry, the Reserve Bank of India, and the National Payments Corporation of India did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ant International, headquartered in Singapore, also did not immediately respond to inquiries. The company operates Alipay+, a digital payments platform widely used in Asia, which enables seamless transactions across multiple countries and currencies.
Experts say such integration could strengthen India’s role in cross-border digital payments and provide an additional convenience layer for consumers, while also increasing the reach of UPI beyond national borders.
