Nepal to Adopt the UPI System, backed by the Indian Government

NPCI International Payments, the international branch of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is poised to launch India’s flagship payment platform Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Nepal to support interoperable real-time P2P and merchant payment transactions.

It will also allow Nepal and India to send real-time cross-border P2P remittances. Nepal is the first country outside of India to use the Universal Payments Interface (UPI).

UPI, which was launched in 2016, allows for interoperable person-to-person and merchant-to-merchant financial transactions. In India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) controls digital payments. Cross-border remittances between the two south Asian countries will also be possible as a result of the move.

In order to boost interoperable real-time Person to Person (P2P) and merchant payment transactions (P2M) in Nepal, NIPL has partnered with payment system operator Gateway Payments Service and Manam Infotech to install UPI.

NIPL had already established partnerships in Singapore and Bhutan to accept UPI QR-based payments. Cross-border payments are also possible thanks to the agreement with PayNow in Singapore. NIPL has also partnered with Mashreq Bank in the UAE to allow Indian travelers to pay for purchases using UPI. Bhutan adopted UPI last July.

The Nepal cooperation, on the other hand, will enable the establishment of a UPI real-time payment system in Nepal. Nepal will have its own UPI, apps, and banks, similar to India.

Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NIPL said, “We are delighted to join hands with GPS and Manam Infotech to facilitate the deployment of NPCI’s flagship Unified Payments Interface in Nepal. This partnership will enable consumers within Nepal to transact swiftly using the UPI platform.”

According to NIPL, Nepal has a population of roughly 30 million people, with about 45 percent of the population banked. Mobile penetration in the country is above 135 percent, with 65 percent of the population owning a Smartphone.

“This lays the groundwork for Nepal to imitate India’s digital transformation in a seamless manner. Over the next several months, the three businesses will collaborate closely to install the Unified Payments Interface in Nepal, which will include all of the functionalities and features now available in India “According to the release.

In 2021, UPI will have facilitated 39 billion financial transactions totaling $940 billion in commerce, accounting for around 31% of India’s GDP.

According to a Jefferies analysis, UPI is expected to reach $1 trillion in total volume in FY22, accounting for half of India’s retail digital payments in the current fiscal year.

On April 3, 2020, NPCI International Payments was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NPCI with the goal of internationalizing products such as RuPay and UPI.