India is in discussions with approximately eight additional countries, including several in East Asia, to expand the international acceptability of its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system. This initiative aims to enable Indian travelers to use the popular digital payment network for transactions abroad.

Financial Services Secretary M. Nagaraju announced the development on December 5, 2025, at a conference focused on leveraging AI and digital public infrastructure. He highlighted that UPI is already operational in eight nations: Bhutan, Singapore, Qatar, Mauritius, Nepal, the UAE, Sri Lanka, and France.

Furthermore, Nagaraju revealed that India is incorporating UPI as a specific component in ongoing trade negotiations with certain countries. The goal is to allow the domestic fintech industry, which has developed significant cost and scale advantages through UPI, to gain a stronger foothold in international financial sectors, thereby leveraging these benefits for national economic gain.