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India has expanded the use of its digital payments platform, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), in Cambodia through the latter’s national QR code. In other news, India’s digital health identity program has issued over 900 million registered accounts.
India’s UPI expands operations to Cambodia
Indian users can now use Cambodia’s Bakong’s KHQR at over 4.5 million merchant outlets following the partnership of NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and ACLEDA Bank Plc.
The collaboration, announced on June 2, enables UPI to be expanded for use in Cambodia through its national QR code.
“At NPCI International, our aim is to extend India’s digital payment innovations to global markets through trusted partnerships. Enabling UPI acceptance in Cambodia marks a significant milestone in this journey. It ensures that Indian travellers enjoy a familiar, secure and seamless payment experience abroad, while Cambodian merchants gain access to millions of digital-first consumers. This collaboration not only strengthens real-time payment connectivity between our two ecosystems but also lays the groundwork for deeper tourism and commercial engagement,” Ritesh Shukla, MD and CEO, NPCI International, said.
The initiative provides seamless, real-time, and interoperable digital transaction capabilities for users in India and Cambodia, enhancing cross-border payments between the two countries.
In the first phase, merchants in Cambodia will have access to a large Indian customer base, thereby reducing reliance on cash, improving convenience for travelers, and strengthening tourism and commercial engagement between the two nations. In the next phase, Cambodians visiting India will also be able to use their payment and banking apps at any UPI QR-enabled merchant across the South Asian country.
India’s ABDM system registered over 900 million accounts
In other news, India’s National Health Authority (NHA) announced on May 30 that the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)—the country’s healthcare ecosystem—has issued over 900 million Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHAs), marking a landmark moment for the country’s digital health identity system.
The ABHA system serves as a foundational layer for healthcare identity management in the South Asian nation. Each account consists of a unique 14-digit identifier and allows citizens to link, access, and share health records across providers.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, cumulative account registrations stood at 147 million in 2021. This increased to 304 million in 2022, 506 million in 2023, 722 million in 2024, and reached a peak of 845 million in 2025, before rising to 900 million this year.
“The creation of over 90 crore [900 million] ABHAs reflects the growing participation of citizens, states, UTs and ecosystem partners in the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission,” said Dr. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, CEO of the NHA.
“ABHA is an important step towards empowering citizens with secure, consent-based access to their own health information. As adoption deepens, ABHA will enable continuity of care, reduce dependence on physical records and support a more seamless, transparent and citizen-centric healthcare delivery system.”
In March, the country’s National Medical Commission (NMC) directed that all medical colleges should generate and issue patient IDs to those seeking their services. Following the directive, each college must issue ABHA IDs to outpatients, inpatients, and those in need of emergency health services.
Geographically, the ADHA expansion has been supported by different regions in India. The state of Uttar Pradesh leads implementation with over 153 million registrations, followed by Rajasthan and Maharashtra at 71 million each, Bihar at 63 million, and West Bengal at 59 million.
ABHA achieved high levels of population saturation across several territories, like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Across larger administrative regions, Andhra Pradesh has recorded 98.5% ABHA saturation, followed by Odisha (91.9%), Chandigarh (90.8%), Rajasthan (89.7%), Himachal Pradesh (88.9%), and Chhattisgarh (86.6%).
The government reported that the ABHA platform supports healthcare, including maternal care, immunization tracking, and long-term healthcare record management, and helps extend digital health services to rural and underserved populations.
“For citizens, ABHA facilitates digital linking of health records generated across different healthcare facilities and applications, reducing the need to carry physical medical documents and enabling secure sharing of health information with healthcare providers whenever required and with consent. This strengthens continuity of care while improving efficiency, transparency and convenience in healthcare delivery,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare post read.
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