India, Indonesia aim to link UPI and QRIS payment systems by end of 2026

India and Indonesia are working to integrate their digital payment systems, with Ambassador to Indonesia Sandeep Chakravorty saying technical discussions between India’s UPI, four Indonesian payment switches and Bank Indonesia are at “a very advanced stage.” He was responding to a question from Kuntum of the State News Agency Antara during a Ministry of External Affairs briefing on 7 July 2026, held on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Jakarta.

Chakravorty said Prime Minister Modi had expressed support for integrating UPI with Indonesia’s QRIS system during bilateral talks with President Prabowo Subianto. He said both leaders had asked negotiators to conclude the technical work quickly, adding he was “hopeful that by the end of the year, we will find integration between QRIS and UPI.”

The payment system integration was among several economic cooperation measures discussed during the visit, alongside plans to expand collaboration in critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and food processing. Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said bilateral trade currently stands at around $25 billion, which he said does not reflect the scale of the two countries’ economies, and that discussions focused on linking innovation ecosystems and digital infrastructure.

Tandon said India, described as “the pharmacy of the world,” could work with Indonesia’s public health system, which requires high-quality drugs at low prices. He said mining and food processing were also identified as potential areas for expanded economic collaboration between the two countries.

The visit also included discussions on critical minerals cooperation, including a plan involving Indonesia’s Pertamina and India’s Midwest Group to build rare-earth magnet manufacturing capacity in Indonesia using heavy rare earths available there, according to Chakravorty.