8B and PayU have partnered to bring UPI and other Indian payment methods to Central Asia, allowing Indian travellers to pay merchants in the region through 8B's network.
The integration covers merchants across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and nearby markets connected to 8B, with support for UPI, net banking, and Indian debit and credit cards. In Kazakhstan, transactions will be processed through Zesta, a locally licensed payment organisation.
The tie-up addresses a gap between rising travel flows and the systems available to support Indian visitors' spending. Tourists from India travelling to Central Asia have often had to rely on cards or cash when local merchants did not accept the payment methods they commonly use at home.
Under the agreement, merchants on 8B's platform can accept UPI payments from Indian consumers through their existing infrastructure, without needing new hardware or a separate onboarding process.
Tourism link
India's outbound tourism expenditure reached USD $18.82 billion in 2024 and is forecast to rise to USD $55.39 billion by 2034, according to figures cited by the companies. Central Asia has also recorded strong visitor growth, with India becoming an increasingly important source market for several countries in the region.
Almaty received 1.14 million visitors in the first half of 2025, including 323,500 foreign arrivals, with India described as its top source market. Kazakhstan received an estimated 250,000 Indian visitors in 2025, up from 146,000 in 2024. Uzbekistan welcomed 66,100 Indian tourists in 2025 and reported a 22.7% rise in Indian arrivals in the first five months of the year compared with the same period a year earlier.
The partnership also reflects a broader push to support cross-border commerce, not just tourism. Beyond in-person spending by visitors, Central Asian merchants selling air tickets, digital services and digital goods will be able to serve Indian customers without requiring them to switch to unfamiliar payment methods.
India-Kazakhstan bilateral trade reached USD $923.3 million in 2025, according to the figures provided. The payment link was framed as part of a broader commercial relationship between India and Central Asia, in which travel demand is rising alongside trade and investment ties.
For merchants, the business case rests on reducing payment friction at checkout. If Indian consumers can use the same methods abroad that they use at home, merchants may find it easier to convert demand into completed sales, particularly for online purchases and travel-related bookings.
"The India-Central Asia corridor is moving faster than the rails, roads, and payment systems built to serve it. The Indian visitor landing in Almaty today comes with digital habits shaped by UPI. Asking them to navigate a different payment experience abroad creates unnecessary friction. This is about making cross-border commerce feel as effortless as commerce at home. It opens the door to a broader commercial relationship in which tourism is only the starting point," said Bogdan Zadorozhnyi, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, 8B.
Regional growth
The agreement comes as Central Asia posts stronger tourism numbers. Kazakhstan welcomed 15.7 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2025, while tourism revenue from accommodation services rose to USD $536.8 million, up USD $88.1 million year on year. Uzbekistan was ranked among the seven fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world for 2025 by UN Tourism, and Kyrgyzstan welcomed about 10 million visitors in 2025, compared with 8.86 million in 2024.
The partnership also fits PayU's wider cross-border payments strategy. Backed by Prosus, the company operates regulated financial businesses in India and provides payment gateway services to online merchants, banks and consumers.
8B focuses on cross-border QR payments for fintech, eCommerce and travel platforms across Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. By linking PayU's systems with 8B's merchant base, the two companies are connecting India's domestic payment habits to merchants in a region where Indian visitor numbers and trade links have grown rapidly.
"Payments should not be a barrier for international travel or trade. Through our strategic partnership with 8B, we are eliminating payment-related friction, making it effortless for Indian travellers to pay with UPI and other local methods across Central Asia while opening new growth corridors for merchants in the region. Our collaboration represents a significant step forward in PayU's international growth strategy. We are not just enabling transactions; we are laying the foundation for the future of digital payments infrastructure between the two economies, connecting India's digital-savvy consumers with Central Asia's rapidly growing travel and commerce sectors," said Nikhil Mehta, Senior Vice President - Partnerships & Business Head - Growth Initiatives (Cross Border Payments & Affordability), PayU.