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The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced the “UPI One World” wallet for international travellers that allows them to make Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions without requiring an Indian SIM card or an Indian bank account.
The “UPI One World” was first introduced in 2023 during the G20 India summit and is now being expanded to accommodate visitors from a broader range of countries, promising greater accessibility and convenience. It is essentially a prepaid wallet which allows travellers to send money with ease and has zero transaction and onboarding fees. To use “UPI One World,” travellers have to follow a know-your-customer (KYC) procedure, which requires details like a passport, visa and an international phone number. The payment system is based on the technology called Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI).

An NPCI spokesperson said, “We are delighted to introduce UPI One World, offering international visitors to India the seamless UPI payment experience. This initiative is designed to elevate visitor satisfaction by providing access to UPI, a favoured payment method among Indians. With UPI One World, travellers can effortlessly manage their financial transactions, including loading funds and easily transferring any unused balance back to their original payment source. By integrating foreign travellers into India's real-time payments system, we aim to foster a more interconnected global digital payments ecosystem.”

Interested travellers can get on board the service from select airports and merchant stores. They can load money to their “UPI One World” wallet using a credit or a debit card, and can also exchange money at select counters with the help of forex experts. Upon leaving the country, tourists can easily encash any remaining balance loaded in their wallet.

Travellers can use the digital wallet to make travel bookings, buy from online shopping platforms, use at merchant stores, grocery stores, entertainment venues, hotels and restaurants, and pay for transportation services.

This initiative by NPCI showcases India’s leadership in the global digital payments landscape and provides an opportunity for the international community to engage with and benefit from India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) success story. Notably, in June 2024, UPI processed close to 14 billion transactions valued at INR 20.07 trillion.