Network International (Network) in partnership with NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), has enabled the acceptance of QR code-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments across Networkโs point-of-sale (POS) terminals in the UAE.
The announcement was made at an event held in Dubai in the presence of His Excellency Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India to the UAE along with senior representatives from Network International and NPCI International.
The initiative will facilitate seamless transactions for Indian tourists across Network Internationalโs vast merchant network in the UAE. Network has over 200,000 POS terminals across 60,000+ merchants in sectors including retail, hospitality, transport, and supermarkets among others. UPI acceptance will be rolled out progressively, covering a wide range of establishments from retail stores and dining outlets, as well as tourist and leisure attractions including Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates.
The collaboration between Network and NIPL, the international arm of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), aligns with the UAEโs vision to strengthen its position as one of the worldโs most popular tourist destinations and a global hub for commerce and businesses. The number of Indian tourists travelling to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is projected to reach 9.8 million in 2024, with the UAE anticipating 5.29 million arrivals from India. This growth is driven by various factors including business, place of work and leisure travel.[1]
UPI is Indiaโs largest instant payments system with over 350 million active users, and it processed 14.04 billion transactions in May 2024 alone. By enabling UPI acceptance through its POS terminals, Network will provide a QR-based safe and secure method for facilitating cross-border payments. This will allow Indian tourists and NRIs with Indian bank accounts to use UPI for payments across Networkโs POS terminals in the UAE.
Nandan Mer, Group CEO of Network International, said, โWe are delighted to partner with NPCI International Payments Limited to strengthen the payments ecosystem for Indians visiting or working in the UAE. By enabling customers to pay in their preferred method, we are one step closer to realising our vision to empower businesses and merchants with the latest payment technologies and strengthening the vision of a digital UAE. We are confident that this partnership will drive a robust digital payments ecosystem in the country that will increase cashless transactions.โ
Jamal Al Nassai, Group Managing Director for Merchant Services โ Middle East and North Africa at Network International, commented: โThe launch of this partnership is a milestone for our extensive merchant network, which stands to benefit immensely from the new payment method. As the leading acquirer in the region, Network will leverage its 30-year legacy of technological innovation to enable acceptance of UPI-based payment apps to its merchants to drive global interoperability.โ
Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NPCI International, stated, โOur partnership with Network International will deepen UPIโs presence in the UAE. By growing UPI payment acceptance across merchants in the UAE, we are not only providing Indian travellers with a seamless and familiar payment experience, but also promoting the use of innovative digital payment solutions internationally. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to driving technological advancement and creating a more connected global payment ecosystem.โ
