UPI Payments Now Available In UAE As NPCI Partners With Network International

Indian tourists coming to the United Arab Emirates will now be able to access the QR-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to make payments. The National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) international arm, NIPL, has partnered with the UAE-based Network International for this significant initiative. The partnership will facilitate seamless transactions for Indian tourists across Network International’s vast merchant network in the UAE. 

Network International, a major player in digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa, has over 200,000 POS terminals across 60,000+ merchants across various sectors, including hospitality, retail, and transport. In a statement released on July 3, NPCI said that UPI acceptance will be rolled out progressively, covering a wide range of establishments as well as tourist and leisure attractions, including Dubai Mall and the Mall of the Emirates.

Notably, the number of Indian tourists travelling to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is expected to reach 9.8 million this year, and the UAE is expecting 5.29 million arrivals from India. The new initiative will help Indian tourists and NRIs with Indian bank accounts access UPI for payments across Network’s POS terminals in the UAE.