India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services have been launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius at a virtual ceremony on Monday. The event was witnessed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth, and Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Apart from this, India’s RuPay card services have also been launched in Mauritius and Sri Lanka at the virtual ceremony.
“We are connecting our historic relations through modern technology,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the launch event.
In Sri Lanka, the interface will be linked with Lanka Pay to allow digital transactions on UPI in Sri Lanka.
The facility will ease remittances between the countries.
Indians visiting Mauritius will be able to pay using their UPI apps by scanning merchant QR codes, and vice-versa, said Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth.
Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI is an instant real-time payment system to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones. RuPay is a global card payment network from India, with wide acceptance at shops, ATMs, and online.
The launch of the Indian services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius is taking place amid New Delhi’s increasing bilateral economic ties with the two countries.
“India has emerged as a leader in Fintech innovation and Digital Public Infrastructure. The prime minister has placed a strong emphasis on sharing our development experiences and innovation with partner countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs has said in a statement.