In recent months, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s most widely used digital payment method, has been expanding its presence in other countries. If the international adoption of UPI proceeds as anticipated by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), the organization behind UPI, Indians will soon have the ability to scan QR codes and make payments using PhonePe or Google Pay apps while traveling in Europe. They will also be able to receive funds from Singaporean bank accounts by sharing their UPI ID.
Following Countries to Accept UPI
Currently, banks and payment companies in several countries and regions have partnered with NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international division of NPCI, to enable the acceptance of UPI and RuPay in various forms:
1. Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and France to start with)
2. UK
3. UAE
4. Singapore
5. Malaysia
6. Thailand
7. Philippines
8. Vietnam
9. Cambodia
10. Hong Kong
11. Taiwan
12. South Korea
13. Japan
14. Oman
15. Bhutan
16. Nepal
17. Sri Lanka
Expansion of UPI and RuPay: Empowering Global Digital Payments
In Europe, NIPL (National Payments Corporation of India) partnered with Worldline, a company based in France, to expand the acceptance of UPI and RuPay among merchants. Currently, Indian customers primarily use international card networks for payments. However, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) allows access to multiple bank accounts through a single mobile application. NIPL expects a significant increase in the number of Indian travelers visiting Europe, as India is an important tourist market for the region. Initially, the acceptance of Indian payment methods will start in BENELUX (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) and Switzerland, facilitated through Worldline’s QR-based payment product. In Oman, NIPL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) to enable the acceptance of Indian RuPay cards at all OmanNet network ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce sites. This collaboration also enables real-time cross-border remittances between India and Oman using UPI.
In the United Kingdom (UK), NIPL partnered with payment solutions provider PayXpert to facilitate the acceptance of UPI and RuPay. This collaboration ensures that Indian payment solutions are available on all PayXpert’s Android point-of-sale (POS) devices for in-store payments.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), UPI was launched on NEOPAY terminals in April 2022. This allows Indian tourists to make seamless payments using BHIM UPI across NEOPAY-enabled shops and merchant stores. Additionally, NIPL partnered with LuLu Financial Holdings to offer real-time remittances from the UAE to India.
In Singapore, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) partnered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to link their fast payment systems, UPI and PayNow. This integration enables users of both systems to make instant and low-cost fund transfers without the need for onboarding onto the other payment system.
In North and Southeast Asia, NIPL collaborated with Liquid Group to enable UPI QR-based payment acceptance in 10 countries. BHIM App users can make UPI QR-based payments at over 2 million merchants across the region. In Malaysia, NIPL partnered with Merchantrade Asia to facilitate real-time remittances from the Merchantrade network to beneficiary banks in India via UPI IDs.
In France, NIPL signed an MoU with Lyra Network to enable payments via UPI and RuPay cards at Lyra terminals and machines. This payment mechanism will go live in September 2023, starting with the Eiffel Tower in Paris as the first merchant in France to accept UPI.
In Bhutan, NIPL announced the adoption of UPI QR code-based payments in collaboration with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan. Participating NPCI mobile applications for UPI QR transactions will be accepted at all RMA-acquired merchants, benefiting the Indian tourists who visit Bhutan annually.
In Nepal, NIPL partnered with Gateway Payment Services and Manam Infotech to enable UPI for domestic usage, cross-border transfers, and payment capabilities for Indians.
NIPL also partnered with TerraPay to facilitate real-time international payments into Indian bank accounts for individuals with active UPI IDs. Another collaboration with TerraPay allows merchants in India with active UPI IDs to make and accept cross-border payments, while Indian customers can make payments at QR locations enabled by TerraPay globally.
