India’s UPI Goes Global: NPCI Expands Digital Payment Footprint in UAE

In a landmark move toward enhancing cross-border financial connectivity, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL)—the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)—has announced significant strides in expanding Unified Payments Interface (UPI) acceptance across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This strategic initiative reflects the deepening financial ties between the two nations and marks a transformative phase for digital payments in the region.

UPI, India’s revolutionary real-time account-to-account payment system, facilitates instant and secure transactions through mobile applications. Currently, it processes over 18 billion transactions per month, positioning itself as one of the world’s most advanced and scalable digital payment infrastructures.

The UAE is one of India’s most vibrant travel and remittance corridors. According to India’s Ministry of Tourism, over seven million Indians visit the UAE annually, making them the largest group of international visitors to the country. This high volume of travel and financial activity underscores the immense potential for digital payment integration, particularly for a tech-savvy population accustomed to using UPI-based mobile apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm.

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The expansion aligns perfectly with the UAE's strategic vision of becoming a cashless economy, and supports the Government of Dubai’s ambitious goal of achieving 90% digital transactions by 2026. By integrating UPI into the UAE’s digital payment architecture, the experience of Indian tourists and the Indian diaspora is set to be revolutionized.

NIPL has laid a strong foundation for UPI's adoption in the UAE by forging strategic partnerships with key financial and payment service providers such as:

• NeoPay (Mashreq Bank's digital payment arm)

• Network International (a leading enabler of digital commerce)

• Magnati (a payment solutions provider)

These collaborations have enabled QR-code-based UPI acceptance at a growing number of merchant outlets. Prominent retail locations such as Dubai Duty Free and Lulu Hypermarket are already accepting UPI payments, allowing Indian customers to make purchases directly from their Indian bank accounts in Indian Rupees.

To accelerate the momentum, NIPL is working closely with UAE regulators and acquiring banks to expand UPI availability across high-traffic sectors such as retail, hospitality, entertainment, transportation, and essential services. The platform provides real-time payment capabilities with transparent currency exchange rates, supporting transactions in Indian rupees (INR). This eliminates the need for physical currency exchange and minimizes hidden costs typically associated with international payments.

From a security standpoint, UPI continues to uphold its robust standards. Features such as two-factor authentication (2FA), transaction limits, and international usage controls governed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ensure user safety and regulatory compliance in foreign markets. UPI’s open and interoperable architecture allows it to adapt seamlessly to different regulatory environments, enabling swift deployment in global contexts.

Ritesh Shukla, Managing Director and CEO of NIPL, hailed the UAE rollout as a milestone that will deliver "unparalleled convenience" to millions of Indian travelers and expatriates. He also emphasized that the global expansion of UPI is a strong endorsement of India’s digital innovation leadership, and a practical demonstration of how indigenous technologies can support international commerce and financial inclusion.

Beyond benefiting Indian consumers, the initiative also offers UAE-based merchants access to a digitally sophisticated customer base, encouraging higher adoption of contactless and secure payment methods. This initiative also strengthens bilateral trade and economic ties between India and the UAE by simplifying business transactions and fostering digital trust.

NIPL, incorporated in April 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of NPCI, was established to take India’s domestic payment systems global. Its mandate includes the deployment of UPI and RuPay (India’s domestic card scheme) across international markets through technological assistance, consulting, and infrastructure development.

By focusing on cross-border digital integration, NIPL not only enables convenient international payments for Indian users but also supports partner countries in building and enhancing their own digital payment ecosystems. The UAE collaboration is a prominent example of how such efforts can deliver long-term value to consumers, merchants, and national economies.

In conclusion, the UAE’s adoption of UPI represents more than just a technological integration—it symbolizes a new era of digital diplomacy, economic cooperation, and payment innovation, where borders are no longer barriers to seamless, real-time, and secure financial transactions.

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