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India’s UPI service to be launched in Sri Lanka, Mauritius on Feb 12
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will participate in the event
The launch of India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) service in Sri Lanka and Mauritius on February 12 will be witnessed by the leaders of the three countries as New Delhi ramps up efforts to expand its digital public infrastructure to more nations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will participate in a video conference to mark the launch of UPI services in the two countries. India’s RuPay card services will also be rolled out in Mauritius during the same event.
India has emerged as a leader in fintech innovation and digital public infrastructure, and Modi has placed strong emphasis on “sharing our development experiences and innovation with partner countries”, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
“Given India’s robust cultural and people-to-people linkages with Sri Lanka and Mauritius, the launch will benefit a wide cross-section of people through a faster and seamless digital transaction experience and enhance digital connectivity between the countries,” the statement said.
The launch will enable Indian nationals travelling to Sri Lanka and Mauritius, as well as Mauritian nationals travelling to India, to use UPI settlement services.
The extension of RuPay card services in Mauritius will enable Mauritian banks to issue cards based on the RuPay mechanism in that country, and also facilitate the use of RuPay Card for settlements in India and Mauritius.
Bhutan was the first country to adopt UPI in 2021, and the service has since been launched, either fully or partially, in Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal and France.
