Modi Pushes India’s Digital Infrastructure onto Global Stage with UPI Rollout in Malaysia

From India to the World: Modi Expands UPI, Mobilises Diaspora for Viksit Bharat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Malaysia on Saturday on his first visit to the country in eight years, receiving an unusually warm and symbolic welcome from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who personally received him at the airport and drove him to the event venue in his own car, a gesture Modi described as a reflection of the deep affection and respect Malaysia holds for India and its people.

Addressing the Indian community in Kuala Lumpur, Modi recalled that he had promised to visit Malaysia after missing last year’s ASEAN Summit and said he was fulfilling that commitment with his first overseas visit of 2026, while also announcing that India’s digital payment platform UPI will soon be launched in Malaysia. Striking a cultural chord, Modi spoke of shared culinary and cultural bonds, saying Indians have linked roti-making with Malabar parotta, and that coconut, spices and tea make Kuala Lumpur feel no different from Kochi, adding that linguistic similarities between Indian languages and Malay further deepen people-to-people ties.

He noted the popularity of Indian music and films in Malaysia and recalled how Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s rendition of an old Hindi song during a previous India visit went viral, also mentioning Ibrahim’s fondness for Tamil songs of legendary actor-leader M.G. Ramachandran. Highlighting India’s global rise, Modi said the country is no longer seen merely as a large market but has emerged as a major global investment and business hub and a trusted development partner, with trade agreements now spanning the UK, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, the European Union and the United States.

He thanked the Indian diaspora for standing with India during crises such as the 2001 Gujarat earthquake and paid tribute to their historical sacrifices, noting that many from the community joined Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj despite living far from their homeland. During the visit, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to review the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and explore cooperation in areas including trade and investment, defence and security, semiconductors, digital technology, renewable energy, education, health, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, while discussions are also underway on infrastructure projects such as railways and renewable energy, increased scholarships, and the establishment of a Thiruvalluvar Centre for Indian Studies.

Malaysia is home to nearly 2.9 million people of Indian origin—the third-largest Indian diaspora globally—and the Ministry of External Affairs said the relationship between the two nations remains deeply rooted in shared history, culture and civilisation, with ongoing efforts to rebalance and sustain bilateral trade through a review of the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.