Indian tourists visiting the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris can now purchase entry tickets online using homegrown Unified Payments Interface (UPI), announced the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
The launch followed NPCI International’s tie-up with French payment processor Lyra for enabling secure QR code-based scanning and seamless UPI transactions on the merchant website. UPI’s deep integration intends easing hassles for millions of annual Indian travelers ranked second currently among international visitors.
UPI formally launched at the iconic Eiffel Tower at the huge Republic Day Reception. 🇮🇳➡️🇫🇷
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) February 2, 2024
Implementing PM @narendramodi’s announcement & the vision of taking UPI global. pic.twitter.com/abl7IPJ0To
Embassy Event Marks UPI’s European Debut
The announcement came at a Republic Day celebration event organized by the Indian Embassy in France underscoring UPI’s promising global ambitions through collaborative gateways. Lyra is a market leader in securing e-commerce payments across Europe.
Ritesh Shukla, NIPL CEO, noted the collaboration represents headway toward interoperable payment mechanisms across borders. Targeted partnerships with financial players worldwide can spur UPI adoption solving consumer payment friction points.
Fastest Growing Retail Payment System Globally
With over 380 million users and 12.2 billion monthly transactions in January 2024, UPI has emerged as the world’s most efficient instant real-time payment platform. November 2022 alone recorded INR 11.9 trillion worth UPI payments, showcasing thriving adoption.
