COUNTRIES LINKED WITH UPI - ECONOMY

News: India UPI Power: List of countries where Bharat's Unified Payments Interface can be used to make digital payments

 

What's in the news?

       Indians can now use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make payments in seven countries.

 

Key takeaways:

       After the announcement, MyGovIndia shared a world map, highlighting the countries where Indians can use UPI to make payments.

 

Countries Linked with UPI:

       Sri Lanka

       Mauritius

       France

       UAE

       Singapore

       Bhutan

       Nepal

 

 

Go back to basics:

Unified Payments Interface (UPI):

       Unified Payments Interface, commonly known as UPI, has been a game changer for digital payments in India.

       From getting groceries to buying your favourite gadget, one can quickly make a UPI payment with no additional charges.

       UPI is no longer limited to India and the number of countries accepting it keeps growing.

 

Launched in:

       UPI was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016 and has rapidly gained momentum.

 

Developed by:

       UPI is a mobile-first payment system developed in India by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

 

Significance:

       It makes it easy to send and receive by just scanning a QR code or using a user’s phone number.

       Unlike most digital payment systems, the amount gets directly debited to the linked bank account.

 

Features:

       UPI can be used on BHIM, a first-party app. It can also be accessed via third-party platforms such as Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PhonePe, BharatPe, and a lot more.

       Most banks that officially operate in India support UPI payment, and unlike a credit or debit card payment, there is no charge involved in UPI payment.

 

Recent Changes:

       To prevent fraudulent activities, NCPI has thought of various features like how the account is directly linked to the phone number, and if the SIM card is removed, UPI ceases to work, and at times, one might also face downtime due to service issues.

       To solve that, NCIP came up with UPI Lite, which does not require a PIN or internet to make transactions. However, there is a limit of Rs 500 per transaction and Rs 4,000 limit per day.

       The widespread adoption of UPI underscores the urgent need for secure, efficient, and user-centric payment methods.