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UPI Expands Across 13 Countries for Indian Travellers
UPI is an Indian app-based way to pay money digitally.
It can now be used in several countries by Indian travellers.
People may use it to pay shops or send money, depending on the country.
The system connects Indian payment apps with payment networks abroad.
This can reduce the need to carry cash.
It may also cost less than using some international cards.
Payments happen quickly and can be tracked through a bank account or payment app.
The article lists countries including Bhutan, Singapore, France, Nepal, Qatar and Uzbekistan.
Some entries have rollout dates in 2025 or 2026, while Uzbekistan has no start date listed.
UPI enables Indian tourists, students and business travellers to make digital payments in several foreign countries.
The article lists 13 country-partner entries, covering Bhutan, Singapore, the UAE, France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Qatar, Greece, Cambodia and Uzbekistan.
UPI supports person-to-merchant payments in most listed markets and person-to-person transfers in Singapore, Greece and Nepal.
The system is linked to foreign payment networks through NPCI International Payments, helping enable cross-border transactions.
UPI transaction charges are described as lower than card fees, although a 0.4% merchant discount rate applies to transactions above ₹2,000 from 15 October.
- Who
- Indian tourists, students and business travellers, along with foreign payment partners and institutions connected through NPCI International Payments.
- What
- The expansion and availability of India’s Unified Payments Interface for cross-border payments in foreign countries.
- Where
- Bhutan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Qatar, Greece, Cambodia and Uzbekistan.
- When
- The listed facilities began or are scheduled to begin between July 2021 and June 2026; Uzbekistan’s entry has no start date listed.
- Why
- To enable convenient cross-border payments, reduce reliance on cash and potentially lower transaction costs compared with conventional card-based payments.
Key facts
- Operator
- The Unified Payments Interface was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India.
- International arm
- NPCI International Payments was incorporated in April 2020 to take UPI and RuPay to international markets.
- Listed entries
- The article provides 13 country-partner entries, including separate person-to-person and person-to-merchant entries for Singapore and Nepal.
- Payment types
- The listed facilities support person-to-merchant payments, person-to-person payments, or both, depending on the market.
- UPI MDR
- A 0.4% merchant discount rate applies to transactions above ₹2,000 from 15 October, with a ₹300 cap for high-value purchases.
- Comparison
- The article cites standard credit-card MDRs of 1.5–2.5% and debit-card MDRs of up to 0.90%.
- Latest adoption
- The Ministry of External Affairs identified Uzbekistan as the latest country to adopt UPI, with no launch date listed in the table.
Quotes
NPCI
India’s National Payments Corporation, cited through its published FAQs
“By setting the baseline UPI MDR at 0.4% on transaction above ₹2,000 and capping it at ₹300 for high-value purchases, UPI remains the most affordable digital payment acceptance tool for commercial enterprises”
livemint.com
Sources
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