India's UPI Goes Live in Greece, Expands European Payment Footprint
India's UPI has launched in Greece through a partnership between Eurobank and NPCI International, expanding the digital payments network to 10 countries and strengthening cross-border payment capabilities.
SociapaHQ
India’s digital payments network takes another European market as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India has been launched in Greece, as the country expands the global footprint of its digital public infrastructure.
According to reports, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced the launch during his official visit to Athens, where he saw a live demo of UPI transactions made possible through a collaboration between Eurobank and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL).
The partnership allows eligible users to make instant, secure and low-cost digital payments through UPI, providing an alternative to traditional cross-border payment methods that tend to have higher transaction costs, Goyal said.
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International Reach:
The expansion follows the rollout of UPI at Galeries Lafayette in Nice, France. The payment system was also launched at the Eiffel Tower in Paris earlier this year, highlighting India’s efforts to make UPI a globally accepted payment platform for international travellers and merchants.
Sharing details about the development, Goyal said, “The growing international acceptance of UPI is a reflection of the increasing global confidence in India’s technology-driven digital public infrastructure and its ability to support seamless cross-border payments.”
UPI is now available in 10 countries including Greece, Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. This bigger network will allow Indian travellers to make payments abroad via familiar UPI-enabled apps, rather than relying on just cash or international credit and debit cards.
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Digital Exports:
The international rollout is a part of India's larger push to globalise its digital payments infrastructure. NPCI International has been working with banks, payment service providers and governments globally to bring UPI into local payment ecosystems to facilitate faster, more secure and cost-effective cross-border transactions.
The expansion also bolsters India’s efforts to position its digital public infrastructure as a replicable technology model for export. UPI has been among India’s most successful digital innovations.
