The agreement, signed on August 30, will enable UPI users from India to make instant merchant payments across Uzbekistan by scanning the country’s Unified National QR (UZQR) code. The development marks another step in expanding the international reach of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
READ THIS: 10 years of UPI: Transaction value surges 4,000-fold to reach ₹314 lakh crore
UPI payments to become easier for Indian travellers
Under the partnership, Indian tourists, business travellers, and students will be able to make person-to-merchant (P2M) payments directly from their Indian bank accounts while travelling in Uzbekistan.
The arrangement is expected to provide wider merchant acceptance across sectors such as retail, hospitality, and services, allowing travellers to use familiar UPI-enabled applications instead of relying primarily on cash or international cards.
The partnership also aims to reduce friction associated with foreign exchange mark-ups, while making digital payments more convenient for Indians visiting the Central Asian country.
Agreement follows regulatory approvals
The announcement was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral visit to Uzbekistan. The commercial agreement follows formal approvals from financial regulators in both countries.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) authorised HUMO as NIPL’s partner for cross-border merchant acceptance, paving the way for the integration of UPI with Uzbekistan’s national QR payment infrastructure.
Strengthening India-Uzbekistan digital ties
Integrating UPI with Uzbekistan’s mandated Unified National QR infrastructure will provide near-universal acceptance for UPI users across participating retail, hospitality, and service merchants.
ALSO READ: UPI accounts for nearly half of global real-time payments: How India became the world leader
The initiative is also being positioned as part of wider cooperation on digital public infrastructure between India and Uzbekistan. It is expected to contribute to both countries’ broader strategic and economic objectives by strengthening digital payment connectivity.
The Uzbekistan partnership adds to UPI’s growing presence outside India. The government release said UPI is currently accepted in 10 countries: Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece.
