UPI goes live in Qatar for domestic retail payments

THE UNITED PAYMENTS Interface (UPI), developed by the National Payments Corporation of India(NPCI),has gone live at retail stores in Qatar, marking the eighth country to implement the digital payment platform.

- MUKESH JAGOTA

The system has been deployed in collaboration with the Qatar National Bank (QNB) and the first retail chain to deploy the payment system is LuLu Hypermarket, promoted by Indian-origin businessman Yusuffali MA.

In September, UPI acceptance was enabled at Qatar duty free outlets at Doha airport. Other nations where UPI has been deployed at select locations include Bhutan, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.

The expansion in Qatar highlights the growing global reach and interoperability of India’s digital payment ecosystem, according to a statement from the LuLu group.