India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service has been formally launched at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Organized by the Indian Embassy in Paris, the launch event recently took place in the presence of the Indian envoy to France, Jawed Ashraf.
With this development, France has officially joined the long list of countries, including Singapore, the UK, and Nepal, which have embraced the real-time payment gateway.
“UPI formally launched at the iconic Eiffel Tower at the huge Republic Day Reception. Implementing PM @narendramodi’s announcement & the vision of taking UPI global,” the Indian embassy in France posted on X.
UPI formally launched at the iconic Eiffel Tower at the huge Republic Day Reception.
— India in France (@IndiaembFrance) February 2, 2024
Implementing PM @narendramodi’s announcement & the vision of taking UPI global. pic.twitter.com/abl7IPJ0To
Taking to social media, India’s PM Narendra Modi appreciated the integration of UPI in French markets.
“Great to see this- it marks a significant step towards taking UPI global. This is a wonderful example of encouraging digital payments and fostering stronger ties,” PM Modi responded.
Great to see this- it marks a significant step towards taking UPI global. This is a wonderful example of encouraging digital payments and fostering stronger ties. https://t.co/jf1sTf41c5
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 2, 2024
Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016, the interface facilitates inter-bank peer-to-peer (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. With over US $300 million worth of transactions, UPI has been used by more than 380 million people in India for daily transactions.
In a statement, the NPCI confirmed that Indian tourists will be able to book their Eiffel Tower visit online using UPI. Notably, Indian tourists are the second largest group of international visitors to the Eiffel.
“Acceptance of UPI in France not only provides Indian tourists with a seamless payment option but also opens up numerous opportunities for merchants across France and Europe operating in the tourism and retail sectors. While the Eiffel Tower is the first merchant to offer UPI payments in France, this service will soon be extended to other merchants in the tourism and retail space,” the statement noted.
“This will make it significantly easier for touring Indians to remotely book hotels, museum visits, etc. for their stay in France,” it added.
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