Sri Lanka and Mauritius have rolled out Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services, a week after the Indian digital payment system was launched in France.
In a news release, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said UPI services will be launched in both countries along with with RuPay card services in Mauritius via a video conferencing ceremony. The virtual conference will be witnessed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister of Mauritius, H.E. Mr. Pravind Jugnauth.
In line with India’s recent emergence as a leader in Fintech innovation and Digital Public Infrastructure the government has been aiming to share its development experiences and innovation with partner countries.
“Given India’s robust cultural and people-to-people linkages with Sri Lanka and Mauritius, the launch will benefit a wide cross-section of people through a faster and seamless digital transaction experience and enhance digital connectivity between the countries,” the department said.
The move means UPI settlement services will be available for Indian nationals travelling to Sri Lanka and Mauritius as well as for Mauritian nationals travelling to India. The extension of RuPay card services in Mauritius, meanwhile will enable local banks to issue RuPay-based cards so they can be used for settlements both in India and Mauritius.
UPI had extended its reach into Europe, last week, via a strategic collaboration with the French digital payment platform Lyra. The deal is expected to bring a more convenient payments experience to Indian tourists by enabling visitors to Paris’ Eiffel Tower to book their trip using India’s Unified Payment Interface. Significantly, it means they can now pay in Rupees through familiar UPI apps and no longer have to worry about currency exchange rates or carrying large amounts of foreign currency.
