Why in the News?
The National Payments Corporation of India has extended the UPI One World wallet facility to visitors from over 40 countries attending the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi from 16 to 20 February 2026.
About UPI One World Wallet
- A prepaid wallet based on the PPI UPI model designed for inbound international travellers.
- Launched by: NPCI through authorised Prepaid Payment Instrument issuers.
Key Features
- No Indian bank account or mobile number required: Foreign visitors can make UPI payments without opening an Indian bank account.
- Person to Merchant P2M Payments: Payments can be made by scanning UPI QR codes across India.
- Multiple Loading Options: Wallet can be loaded using various international payment methods.
- Availability Points: Available at New Delhi International Airport and NPCI Pavilion at Bharat Mandapam.
- Refund Facility: Unused balance can be transferred back to the original payment source as per forex rules.
What is PPI?
Prepaid Payment Instrument: A payment instrument where money is loaded in advance and used for transactions without direct linkage to a bank account for each payment.
Significance
- Promotes India’s digital public infrastructure globally
- Facilitates seamless real time retail payments for foreign tourists
- Reduces dependence on cash and currency exchange
- Demonstrates scalability of UPI as a cross border payment solution
About UPI
- Unified Payments Interface UPI is a real time payment system developed by NPCI that enables instant fund transfers between bank accounts using mobile platforms. It is currently the world’s largest real time payment ecosystem.
| [2025] Consider the following countries:Â
I. United Arab Emirates II. France III. Germany IV. Singapore V. Bangladesh How many countries amongst the above are there other than India where international merchant payments are accepted under UPI? (a) Only two (b) Only three (c) Only four (d) All the five |
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