APAC Links Domestic Payment Systems to Reach New Markets
Asia-Pacific’s real-time payment systems are moving beyond domestic transfers as countries look to connect national infrastructure across borders. The September 2026 PYMNTS Intelligence Real-Time Payments World Map, produced in collaboration with The Clearing House, shows that work taking two forms. Five countries are pursuing a common framework for connecting domestic instant payment systems,…
Asia-Pacific's real-time payment systems are expanding beyond domestic transfers, with countries seeking to connect national infrastructure across borders. The PYMNTS Intelligence Real-Time Payments World Map, released in September 2026, outlines two approaches to achieve this. Five countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines - are working on a common framework, Project Nexus, to connect their domestic instant payment systems.
This framework aims to reduce technical relationships required for geographic expansion, as connecting only through bilateral relationships could necessitate numerous separate links. Meanwhile, India is exploring the possibility of connecting its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Alipay+, a platform with extensive international reach.
If successful, this connection could enable Indian travelers to use UPI at merchants in markets linked to Alipay+. While Project Nexus focuses on connecting national instant payment systems through a common framework, the proposed UPI-Alipay+ arrangement seeks to provide a domestic system access to an established network of merchants across numerous markets.
These initiatives indicate a growing trend for real-time payment systems to explore international expansion without establishing a new payment relationship at every border.
Written by urgent.news from PYMNTS's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
