Payments
Payments Outlook: Asia Pacific
Connected infrastructure unlocks opportunity at scale
October 19, 2026
As technology continues to reshape the global payments landscape, Asia Pacific (APAC) markets are at the forefront of change.
The region has emerged as a leader in key areas such as real-time payments (RTP) and AI agents, while interoperability initiatives, digital currencies and treasury digitalization are helping organizations move funds and scale more efficiently.
Based on proprietary research and local payments expertise, our report examines these shifts in depth.
01
Payments digitalization: Reducing complexity with APIs and digital banking
Treasury digitalization is reducing cross-market friction and making it easier for organizations to scale efficiently and compliantly.
Digital banking streamlines traditional processes
Asia Pacific has the highest concentration of neobanks in the world, accounting for approximately 41% of the global total.1 Treasury teams are also benefiting from digital banking that helps streamline payment flows.
“In APAC, the challenge isn’t the movement of money, but the orchestration of complexity across fragmented markets. Leading corporates will be those that can standardize core treasury infrastructure while remaining agile at the edges.”
Manish Patel
Head of APAC Corporate Sales, J.P. Morgan Payments
02
Real-time payments: Supporting liquidity management as C2M and B2B transactions grow
Forecasted market value in RTP in APAC 2025-2030 ($ billion)
2025 | 13.6 |
2026 | 18.6 |
2027 | 25.5 |
2028 | 35.0 |
2029 | 47.9 |
2030 | 65.7 |
Source: Mordor Intelligence
QR codes power C2M payments
QR code standardization is driving the growth of C2M payments across RTP networks. For example, Bank Indonesia's Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) has about 60 million users.2
RTP increasingly being used for B2B transactions
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the biggest RTP scheme in the world, now supports instant business transactions and the automation of supplier payments, while Australia's New Payments Platform has no scheme-level cap on real-time transaction size, although participating institutions may set their own limits.
“Real-time payments do more than move money faster in APAC. Instant settlement means cleaner reconciliation, sharper liquidity visibility, improved working capital optimization and reduced operational costs and it lays the foundation for innovations like agentic payments.”
Joy Xu
Head of APAC Payment Rails PSS & Commercialization, J.P. Morgan
03
Regional interoperability: Improving cross border flows with APIs, synchronized networks and digital currencies
The speed and ease of cross-border payments are improving through a combination of API connectivity, digital currencies and growing interoperability between domestic systems and RTP networks.
Synchronizing RTP schemes for faster flows
Thailand's PromptPay, the second-biggest RTP scheme in the region, has linked to countries including Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, while China recently launched a pilot to allow real-time person-to-person (P2P) payments with Hong Kong.5
The Bank for International Settlements Project Nexus could further boost interoperability by connecting all major RTP schemes in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to a centralized hub, potentially settling in under 60 seconds.6
Enhancing cross-border payments with API connectivity
Example of a cross-border payment flow:
- Customer initiates cross-border payment electronically via bank
- Bank offers locked-in foreign exchange (FX) rate for transfer
- Bank routes payment through correspondent banking system
- When payment hits the destination country, it is routed to local RTP network to speed up last mile delivery
- Transaction completes, with cross-border settlement time cut significantly
Percentage of organizations leveraging digital currencies/stablecoins in their treasury operations
APAC: 38%
EMEA: 31%
NAMR: 34%
LATAM: 31%
Global Average: 33%
Source: J.P. Morgan
“Interoperability will be a defining force in the future of cross-border payments across APAC. As payment infrastructures across the region become increasingly connected, businesses will unlock easier access to new markets and enjoy more seamless, efficient movement of funds.”
Christine Tan
Head of Financial Institutions Group Sales, J.P. Morgan Payments
04
Agentic AI: Retooling treasury and reshaping commerce
What are you investing in most over the next two to three years?
Platforms: 11%
AI/data: 75%
Outsourcing/partners: 8%
Internal teams: 6%
Source: J.P. Morgan, APAC Investor Services Forum
“The next evolution of treasury isn't just automation, it's intelligent insights. For years, treasury teams have focused on digitizing processes and improving visibility. AI enables a step change, allowing organizations to anticipate liquidity needs, identify risks earlier and make more informed decisions in real time.”
Lillian Sim
Global Head of Subsidiary Payments Sales, J.P. Morgan
Looking ahead: Innovation unlocks new potential and strategic capabilities
The next few years will see rapid innovation in digital payments continue, and this modernized infrastructure will play a central role in driving more scalable, efficient and resilient payments. Perhaps most crucially, as these capabilities mature, APAC treasury leaders will be able to step into more strategic roles that better support the growth agenda of their organizations.
References
1.
The Banker, March 2025. “Top 100 digital banks.” Available at: https://www.thebanker.com/content/6ec20877-789a-472a-94e0-6d1187736ded. Accessed June 2026.
2.
Jakarta Globe, December 2025. “Bank Indonesia Targets 60 Million QRIS Users in 2026 as Cross-Border Payments Expand.” Available at: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/bank-indonesia-targets-60-million-qris-users-in-2026-as-crossborder-payments-expand. Accessed June 2026.
3.
ASEAN, “Our Communities – Overview.” Available at: https://asean.org/our-communities/economic-community/resilient-and-inclusive-asean/development-of-micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-in-asean-msme/. Accessed June 2026.
4.
Mordor Intelligence, “Asia Pacific real-time payment market size & share analysis - growth trends and forecast (2026 -2031).” Available at: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/real-time-payments-market. Accessed June 2026.
5.
J.P. Morgan, “Real-time reframed.” Available at: https://www.jpmorgan.com/payments/payments-unbound/magazine/articles/real-time-payments-reframed. Accessed September 2026.
6.
Compliance Corylated, May 2025. “BIS multilateral instant payments become reality in Asia-Pacific.” Available at: https://www.compliancecorylated.com/news/bis-multilateral-instant-payments-become-reality-in-asia-pacific/. Accessed January 2026.
7.
Bain & Company, November 2025. “e-Conomy SEA 2025.” Available at: https://www.bain.com/insights/e-conomy-sea-2025/. Accessed June 2026.
8.
Fintechly, June 2026. “AI Agent Payments in Asia Are Taking Off, But Is the Region Ready?” Available at: https://fintechly.com/payments/ai-agent-payments-in-asia-are-taking-off-but-is-the-region-ready/. Accessed June 2026.
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