India’s UPI Goes Global: Now Accepted in Japan
India’s world-renowned Unified Payments Interface (UPI) continues its global expansion, with Japan becoming the latest country to adopt this real-time payment technology. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), through its international arm NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), has partnered with NTT Data Japan to enable mobile-based UPI payments for Indian travelers visiting Japan.
Under this collaboration, Japanese merchants will now accept UPI payments via QR code scans, making it easier for Indian tourists to shop, dine, and pay without relying on cash or forex cards.
Between January and August 2025, over 208,000 Indian tourists visited Japan—a number that continues to rise. With UPI now entering the Japanese market, it’s expected to simplify cross-border payments and boost tourism spending by eliminating transaction hassles.
Masanori Kurihara, Head of Payments at NTT Data Japan, highlighted that the integration of UPI will not only help local merchants process payments from Indian tourists seamlessly but will also strengthen Japan’s overall tourism ecosystem.
This marks another step forward in enhancing India’s digital influence globally, positioning UPI as a benchmark for efficient, low-cost, and secure payment solutions.
Before Japan, UPI had already made inroads into several international markets. Indian users can currently make digital payments via UPI in the following countries:
France
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Nepal
Mauritius
Peru
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Qatar
Bhutan
According to NPCI, expansion plans are already underway to launch UPI services in 4–6 additional nations by 2025, including Thailand, Qatar, and several Southeast Asian countries.
Back home, UPI dominates India’s digital payment landscape. As of July 2025, more than 491 million users and 6.5 million merchants actively use UPI for everyday transactions.
The platform now accounts for roughly 85% of India’s total digital payments, representing nearly half of the world’s real-time payment volume. This widespread adoption has been fueled by UPI’s core strengths — simplicity, security, speed, and interoperability.
From small tea vendors in rural India to global retail chains, UPI has redefined how money moves — quickly, safely, and transparently.
UPI’s expansion beyond India’s borders marks a pivotal moment in global fintech collaboration. It signifies how Indian innovation is shaping the future of cashless economies worldwide.
By allowing Indian travelers to use their familiar UPI apps abroad, the system enhances convenience, promotes financial inclusivity, and reduces dependency on traditional payment channels such as credit cards and forex services.
Industry experts believe that as more countries adopt UPI, India’s digital payment ecosystem will become a global model for real-time, interoperable, and secure financial technology.
Japan joins nine other countries offering UPI payments for Indian users.
Partnership between NPCI International (NIPL) and NTT Data Japan enables cross-border digital payments.
UPI’s international footprint to expand to more countries, including Thailand and Southeast Asia.
In India, UPI powers 85% of total digital transactions with nearly 500 million users.
The move boosts India’s global digital presence and simplifies payments for travelers worldwide.
The rollout of UPI in Japan underscores India’s growing influence in the global digital economy. What began as a domestic innovation to simplify local payments has now become an international symbol of digital trust and innovation.
With each new country adopting UPI, India is not only making global payments faster and safer but also exporting its fintech excellence to the world.
