Business Today - The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday said Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services will be launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius on February 12. It said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will witness the launch of UPI services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius on Monday. Also, RuPay card services will be launched in Mauritius.

The MEA said that India has emerged as a leader in fintech innovation and digital public infrastructure and Prime Minister Modi has placed a strong emphasis on sharing the country's development experiences and innovation with partner countries. "Given India's robust cultural and people-to-people linkages with Sri Lanka and Mauritius, the launch will benefit a wide cross-section of people through a faster and seamless digital transaction experience and enhance digital connectivity between the countries," the ministry said.

The launch will enable the availability of UPI settlement services for Indian nationals travelling to Sri Lanka and Mauritius as well as for Mauritian nationals travelling to India. The extension of RuPay card services in Mauritius will enable Mauritian banks to issue cards based on the RuPay mechanism in Mauritius and facilitate usage of RuPay Card for settlements both in India and Mauritius.

Earlier this month, France allowed the UPI to work in the country. With the launch, Indian tourists can book their visit to the Eiffel Tower by purchasing tickets online using UPI. France became the first European country to accept UPI. The official announcement was made in Paris at an event organised by the Indian Embassy in France to celebrate the Republic Day of India.

Eiffel Tower was the first merchant to offer UPI payments in France. It would be extended to other merchants in the tourism and retail space, NPCI International Payments Limited said.