Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai/Doha/Muscat/Riyadh
Dubai/Doha/Muscat/Riyadh, Sep 17: The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s flagship digital payments system, has expanded into the Gulf region, offering seamless transactions for Indian expatriates and tourists. UPI is now available in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman, marking a major milestone in its global rollout.
Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI has revolutionised real-time payments in India and is steadily gaining international acceptance. By September 2024, it had crossed ?20 trillion in transaction value and is currently live in 12 countries worldwide, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore, France and Hong Kong.
The UAE was the first Gulf nation to introduce UPI in 2022, enabling users to make payments through the NeoPay app. In 2025, a key update allowed NRIs to use UPI without an Indian mobile number, making the system accessible to a larger section of the Indian diaspora. UPI payments are now widely accepted in malls, supermarkets, transport services and tourist destinations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In Oman, UPI was launched in 2023 following an agreement between NPCI, NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) and the Central Bank of Oman. The partnership also brought RuPay cards into circulation, allowing use across ATMs, point-of-sale machines and online platforms.
Qatar integrated UPI in 2023 and strengthened its network in 2024 through a tie-up between NPCI and Qatar National Bank. On September 16, 2025, Commercial Bank of Qatar also introduced UPI QR code payments for its merchants, enhancing convenience for Indian travellers.
Saudi Arabia has also joined the UPI network, enabling residents to link their Saudi mobile numbers to NRE and NRO accounts in India. This has simplified both local transactions and cross-border remittances for Indian expatriates.
Indian expats can access UPI by linking their international mobile numbers to their NRE or NRO accounts with participating Indian banks. Once registered on UPI-enabled apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm or BHIM, they can send and receive money, pay bills and make purchases instantly without the need for an Indian SIM card.
The expansion of UPI in the Gulf is part of NPCI’s broader vision to make the system available in 20 countries by FY29, strengthening India’s global fintech footprint and providing its diaspora with faster, cheaper and more secure digital payments.