NTT Data Payment Services (NDPS) is working on linking India's UPI with other fast payment systems across Asia through a hub-based architecture that could eliminate the need for multiple bilateral arrangements, according to a Business-Today report. Senior executives at the company outlined the strategy to simplify cross-border retail payments, and NDPS launched Adaptis — its unified service brand for its digital payment suite across markets.
Hub-based model replaces bilateral links
Business-Today reported that cross-border payments presently rely on one-to-one country links, which are slowed by regulatory and settlement gaps. NDPS is instead building a shared-switch layer with central banks or switching firms across Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, or India, linking domestic systems into a single interoperable network at scale. The report quotes Shinichiro Nishikawa, head of global payments strategy at NTT Data:
"We are moving from bilateral connections to a hub-based model. Our aim is to connect local payment systems so that merchants and consumers can transact seamlessly across borders."
The hub model changes the connection logic. Rather than maintaining separate bilateral agreements between each pair of countries, the shared-switch layer links domestic systems into one interoperable network, as reported by Business-Today.
Adaptis brand unifies digital payment suite
According to the same Business-Today report, NTT Data Payment Services launched Adaptis as its unified service brand for its digital payment suite across markets. The launch consolidates the company's payment products and services under one brand identity, giving merchants and aggregators a single front-end for NDPS's offerings.
India market entry via Atom Technologies
Business-Today noted that NTT Data entered India payments by acquiring Atom Technologies from 63Moons in 2018. Following the acquisition, NDPS built a unified platform serving merchants and aggregators. That platform now sits at the centre of the company's plan to connect India's UPI with other Asian fast payment systems.
What the hub architecture changes for merchants
The following table summarises the differences between the current bilateral model and the planned hub-based architecture, based on the facts in the Business-Today report:
| Dimension | Bilateral connections (current) | Hub-based model (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity | One-to-one country links | Single interoperable network at scale |
| Shared infrastructure | None per pair | Shared-switch layer with central banks or switching firms |
| Geographic scope | Pairwise agreements | Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and India linked together |
| Settlement speed | Slowed by regulatory and settlement gaps | Aimed at seamless merchant and consumer transactions |
What sellers need to monitor
For cross-border e-commerce sellers, marketplace operators, and B2B platform managers, the practical effect of this model, if deployed, is the reduction of bilateral payment arrangements. Business-Today reported that the hub-based approach "could eliminate the need for multiple bilateral arrangements" that currently slow cross-border retail payments. The countries named in the report are Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.
Sellers operating in these markets should watch which central banks and switching firms agree to connect to the NDPS hub, because the report said the company is building the shared-switch layer "with central banks or switching firms" in those countries. If the hub connects those domestic systems, merchants may no longer need to maintain separate payment integrations for each country. Instead, a single onboarding to the hub could, according to the report, let merchants and consumers "transact seamlessly across borders."
Also relevant to merchants is the Adaptis launch. Business-Today reported that Adaptis is the unified service brand for NDPS's digital payment suite across markets. As the hub model develops, Adaptis is likely to be the merchant-facing name for these cross-border payment services, though the source does not specify which payment methods will be branded under Adaptis.
Since the source does not provide a timeline, sellers should treat the hub-based UPI network as an announced plan rather than a live service. The key facts to track are the bilateral agreements NDPS already has or signs with central banks, and whether the Adaptis brand becomes the access point for hub-based cross-border payments.
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