The UAE is among the countries connected to India’s growing digital payments ecosystem through UPI and RuPay, according to a presentation by NPCI International. The country is listed for both UPI acceptance and RuPay card acceptance.
The UAE also features under domestic card switch partnerships. This points to cooperation that extends beyond merchant payments into payment infrastructure.
UAE was listed alongside Qatar, Singapore, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, France and Mauritius under UPI acceptance. It also appeared with Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Maldives and Bhutan under RuPay card acceptance.
NPCI International said UPI merchant payment services are now live across 11 countries. Indian travellers in supported markets can use Indian UPI-enabled apps to make payments through local QR codes.
Singapore, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan were among the markets cited in the presentation. The system allows users to make payments through mobile phones while travelling without relying only on cash or physical cards.
The presentation did not list the UAE under UPI remittance partnerships. Singapore, Nepal and Greece were shown in that category.
India’s UPI processed 24.5 billion transactions worth around USD 315 billion in August, according to figures presented by NPCI International. The organization said that around 80% of digital payments in India now take place through UPI. More than 500 million people actively use the platform. Around 55 million unique merchants are also connected to UPI.
NPCI International was established in 2020 to expand India’s payment capabilities through international partnerships. Its work includes payment interoperability and infrastructure development.
RuPay, India’s domestic card network, was launched in 2012. More than 800 million RuPay cards are now in circulation. UPI was launched in 2016 and expanded across merchant payments, e-commerce, and recurring transactions.
NPCI also highlighted security measures supporting the payment network. These include PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 compliance, digital transaction signing and controls designed to protect user data.
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