UPI broadens overseas acceptance for Indian travellers through NPCI partnerships
NPCI International Payments is extending UPI-enabled merchant payments and remittance options abroad, allowing Indian tourists, students and business travellers to pay via linked Indian bank accounts and UPI apps.
What happened
UPI’s overseas acceptance is expanding through NPCI International Payments partnerships, enabling Indian tourists, students and business travellers to make
Key facts
- 55.49 crore users onboarded in June 2026
- 24,162 crore UPI transactions in FY26
- ₹314 lakh crore UPI transaction value in FY26
Why this matters
Payments, retail-tech and travel platforms should pursue NPCI-aligned partnerships to capture Indian outbound spend and embed UPI into international merchant acceptance.
What to watch
- New NPCI International agreements with major merchant acquirers, national payment schemes, airport operators, or tourism authorities.
- UPI availability in high-volume corridors including UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Europe, the UK, North America, and Australia.
- Merchant coverage moving from QR-only small merchants to large-format retail, department stores, duty-free, hotel chains, transit, and e-commerce checkout.
- Published cross-border transaction limits, FX rates, refund rules, chargeback protections, settlement timing, and merchant discount rates.
- Indian traveller payment-share data showing substitution away from cards, cash, prepaid forex, or local wallets.
- Competitive responses from Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, local wallets, and multi-currency travel-card providers.
- Regulatory developments on data localization, AML/KYC, remittances, and foreign-exchange compliance.
- Prioritize UPI QR acceptance in stores serving Indian travellers, beginning with airports, luxury outlets, duty-free, hotels, attractions, pharmacies, and university-adjacent retail.
- Integrate UPI into payment orchestration rather than treating it as a standalone tender, with clear INR-equivalent pricing, refund handling, reconciliation, fraud controls, and staff training.
- Use UPI-specific offers to acquire high-intent Indian travellers, such as instant discounts, travel bundles, loyalty bonuses, and tax-refund assistance.
- Segment Indian customer journeys by tourist, student, business traveller, and diaspora shopper; tailor payment messaging and post-purchase remarketing accordingly.
- Monitor settlement costs and FX economics against card acceptance, cash handling, and domestic-wallet alternatives before scaling chainwide.