UPI goes live at Eiffel Tower; Paris and Nice airports next in France rollout

France becomes the first European country to accept UPI, with the Eiffel Tower as the inaugural merchant under an NPCI International–Lyra partnership. Paris and Nice airports follow in the coming weeks, opening a high-value Indian tourist corridor as UPI's overseas merchant footprint scales past 1.5 million.

— Source publishedMon, 15 Jun, 2026, 15:33 IST·First seen Mon, 15 Jun, 2026, 15:33 IST·Source Medianama

What happened

UPI is now live at the Eiffel Tower, the first French merchant accepting it, with rollout planned for Paris and Nice airports. France is the first European

Key facts

  • 60,000 UAE merchants
  • 12,000 Singapore merchants
  • 200,000 Nepal POS
  • 755,000 FY25 transactions
  • Rs 258 crore
  • 1.5 million international merchants

Why this matters

The NPCI International–Lyra tie-up signals a partner-led EU expansion model worth scouting for acquirer, FX, and tourist-merchant aggregator targets that can ride the corridor.