List of Countries Accepting UPI Payment 2025, Key Highlights

India’s fintech revolution continues to leave a mark across international borders, and at the heart of this movement lies the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI has evolved into one of the most advanced, secure, and user-friendly digital payment systems in the world. Its seamless real-time fund transfers, QR-code compatibility, and multi-app ecosystem have now become a model for other countries.

As of 2025, UPI has made significant inroads into several foreign nations, expanding India’s digital influence and simplifying cross-border payments for Indian tourists, businesses, and expatriates. This article includes the List of Countries Accepting UPI Payment 2025, recent developments, and how this move benefits India’s global outreach.

What is UPI

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a real-time payment system that enables users to link multiple bank accounts and initiate instant fund transfers using mobile apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and BHIM. Launched in 2016, UPI has witnessed growth domestically, making over 10 billion transactions monthly by mid-2023. The global push for UPI aims to:

• Facilitate seamless cross-border transactions
• Support Indian tourists and businesses abroad
• Strengthen economic and digital partnerships
• Reduce remittance costs and promote financial inclusion

NPCI’s international arm, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), has been partnering with foreign governments and banks to make UPI available overseas.

PM Modi’s Cyprus Visit

In June 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Cyprus marked a major milestone. Cyprus became the second European nation after France to adopt UPI services. The visit led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NPCI and Eurobank Cyprus, enabling UPI-based cross-border transactions for tourists, businesses, and expatriates.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides described the partnership as “historic,” reinforcing the strategic relationship between India and Cyprus, and positioning Cyprus as a gateway for Indian trade into the European Union and the Mediterranean region.

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List of Countries Accepting UPI Payment

Below is the updated List of UPI Adopted Countries that are currently live or under various stages of implementation as of 2025.

How UPI Payments Work Abroad

To use UPI internationally, Indian users must:

Step 1: Download the issuer app and sign in.

Step 2: Verify Documents (Passport and Valid Visa) physically at Issuer Counter.

Step 3: Issuance of UPI One World on international mobile number.

Step 4: Load INR value against the desired amount by either:

• Exchanging foreign currency at the issuer counter with Forex experts help
• By the mode of Credit Card or Debit Card.

Step 5: Use the preloaded INR at merchant outlets.

Step 6: Encash any remaining balance loaded by the traveler before departure

UPI Global Expansion Strategic Benefits 

1. With millions of Indians traveling abroad annually, UPI enables instant payments at retail outlets, hotels, and tourist attractions, eliminating the need for foreign currency exchange.
2. UPI integration abroad allows small businesses, exporters, and the Indian diaspora to conduct transactions with greater transparency, lower costs, and quicker settlement times.
3. UPI has become a symbol of India’s digital diplomacy. Partnering nations benefit from low-cost, secure, and interoperable digital payment infrastructure.
4. NPCI’s global partnerships open the door for bilateral fintech agreements, digital innovation, and shared economic growth.

Upcoming Expansions and MoUs

National Payments Corporation of India has signed or is in discussion to sign multiple MoUs to further expand UPI’s global presence. Some notable collaborations include:

• Buna Payment Platform (Arab Monetary Fund): Enables multi-currency transactions across Arab nations.
• United Kingdom & EU Discussions: Targeted integration into financial systems through secure gateways.
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiatives: Focused on Indian expatriate markets and digital banking.

UPI Transaction Growth and Global Impact

UPI has revolutionised India’s domestic payments scene, growing from 92 crore transactions in 2018 to 8,375 crore in 2023. By August 2023, UPI had recorded over 10.5 billion monthly transactions, with total value crossing ₹15.7 lakh crore. Merchant payments alone accounted for $380 billion out of a $1.7 trillion annual transaction volume.

The global adoption of UPI aims to replicate this digital transformation for cross-border commerce, tourism, and remittances.