Indian Economy News

NPCI International and Uzbekistan’s NIPC partner to enable UPI payments across Uzbekistan via UZQR

NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has entered into a commercial agreement with Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC), operator of the country’s national payment system HUMO, to enable UPI-based merchant payments across Uzbekistan. Under the agreement signed on August 30, 2026, Indian tourists, business travellers and students will be able to use UPI-enabled applications to scan Uzbekistan’s national interoperable QR code, UZQR, and make instant person-to-merchant (P2M) payments directly from their Indian bank accounts. The partnership follows approvals from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU), which designated HUMO as NIPL’s authorised partner for cross-border merchant acceptance. Integration with the Unified National QR infrastructure is expected to provide broad merchant acceptance across retail, hospitality and service establishments in Uzbekistan, supporting a more seamless digital payment experience for Indian visitors.

The initiative is expected to strengthen digital public infrastructure cooperation between India and Uzbekistan and expand the international footprint of UPI. By enabling Indian travellers to make payments through their existing UPI applications, the arrangement is expected to reduce reliance on cash and international payment cards while facilitating direct payments from Indian bank accounts. The partnership also supports wider economic and people-to-people engagement between the two countries by improving payment convenience for tourists, business travellers and students. Uzbekistan joins a growing network of countries where UPI-based payments are available to Indian travellers. The system is currently accepted in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Greece. The integration of UPI with Uzbekistan’s national QR infrastructure further demonstrates the potential of interoperable digital payment systems to support cross-border commerce and international travel. The agreement also marks another step in India’s efforts to expand its digital public infrastructure internationally and develop greater connectivity between domestic and overseas payment ecosystems.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.