Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 6: India’s flagship digital payments platform, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), has now gone live in more than eight countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar, reinforcing India’s emergence as a global leader in digital financial technology, Parliament was informed on Friday.

The government said UPI’s international rollout is not only simplifying cross-border transactions but is also driving remittances, expanding financial inclusion, and enhancing India’s influence in the global fintech ecosystem.

Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada said India has so far signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements with 23 countries for cooperation and knowledge-sharing on India Stack and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

“These MoUs are focused on collaboration in key areas such as digital identity, digital payments, data exchange, and service delivery platforms, in line with India’s broader DPI diplomacy under the India Stack framework,” the minister said.

He informed the House that specific MoUs for DigiLocker have already been signed with Cuba, Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, enabling partner nations to adopt India’s secure digital document ecosystem.

The government has also put in place mechanisms to showcase and share India’s DPI success story globally. The India Stack Global initiative highlights India’s digital governance platforms and supports their adoption by friendly countries, offering access to 18 major digital solutions.

Prasada further noted that the Global DPI Repository, launched during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, now serves as an international knowledge hub for digital public infrastructure. “India has contributed the highest number of DPI solutions to this global repository,” he said.

India’s widely recognised digital platforms include Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, API Setu, DigiLocker, Aarogya Setu, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), UMANG, DIKSHA, e-Sanjeevani and PM GatiShakti, among others.

Meanwhile, UPI continues to register strong domestic growth. According to recent data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the platform recorded a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in transaction volume, reaching 21.70 billion transactions in January. The total transaction value also rose 21 per cent annually to Rs 28.33 lac crore, underscoring the rapid expansion and deepening adoption of digital payments across the country.