Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: India’s highly successful United Payments Interface (UPI) will now be accepted in Qatar, enabling Indian travellers to make UPI payments seamlessly at major tourist attractions and at Qatar Duty Free outlets in the Arab nation in the Middle East.
India’s NPCI International Payments Ltd, in partnership with Qatar National Bank (QNB), has enabled the acceptance of QR code-based UPI payment across Qatar via point-of-sale terminals for merchants acquired by QNB and powered by NETSTARS’ payment solution, the media reported on Wednesday.
Qatar Duty Free outlets are the first merchants to go live on UPI, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said in a statement.
Indians are the second-largest group of international visitors to Qatar, it said, adding that this partnership will help them make real-time transactions across the country, thereby reducing the need to carry cash and eliminating currency exchange hassles.
The acceptance of UPI in Qatar promotes interoperability and expands UPI’s global reach, it said.
It is also expected to benefit Qatar’s retail and tourism sectors as UPI acceptance will increase transaction volumes of merchants acquired by QNB. This will help them in scaling their business, while offering convenience to customers, it said.
“We aim to enhance the acceptance of UPI globally and create a truly interoperable global payment network. The partnership with QNB is a step towards this journey,” NPCI International MD and CEO Ritesh Shukla said.
NPCI International is a subsidiary of NPCI.
It will help millions of Indian travellers make seamless, secure digital transactions and reduce their dependence on cash, he said.
Yousef Mahmoud Al-Neama, Group Chief Business Officer, QNB, said this milestone not only enhances convenience for Indian travellers but also brings significant benefits to the Qatari market by promoting cashless transactions, boosting retail and tourism sectors, and strengthening interoperability in the payments ecosystem.
ITt will also enable local merchants to thrive by attracting more customers and providing them with seamless digital payment options, he added.
UPI payments are currently accepted in seven countries: France, the UAE, Bhutan, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. As of 2025, there were plans to expand UPI to 4-6 additional countries, with a focus on regions like Thailand and Southeast Asia. These international initiatives include setting up domestic payment systems and bilateral links.
India is also holding discussions with Malaysia and Thailand. An MoU was signed with 13 countries in February 2023, and expansion efforts by NIPL aim to include 4 to 6 more nations by the end of 2025, focusing on regions with significant Indian tourist traffic.