Indian tourists visiting the UAE can now enjoy a hassle-free payment experience using their home country’s instant payment system. Thanks to a new partnership, tourists can utilize India’s QR-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at over 60,000 merchants across the UAE, spanning retail, hospitality, transport, and supermarkets.
This expansion will soon include popular destinations like Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates, alongside various retail stores and dining outlets.
The initiative follows a collaboration between Network International and NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), aimed at integrating UPI into the UAE’s payment ecosystem. UPI is renowned in India, boasting over 350 million active users and handling a staggering 14.04 billion transactions in May 2024 alone.
Network International, leveraging its extensive network of 200,000 terminals in the UAE, will enable Indian tourists and NRIs with Indian bank accounts to make secure UPI payments. This move supports the UAE’s ambition to bolster its status as a global tourism and business hub.
With the UAE expecting around 5.29 million Indian visitors in 2024, the enhanced payment system is poised to significantly streamline financial transactions for travelers from India to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
