Foreign tourists visiting India can now pay at local shops directly using the same payment apps they use in their home country, no local bank account required. Thanks to Bank of Baroda for making this unique service available.

Bank of Baroda on Wednesday launched “UPI Global Reverse Acceptance”, which allows international visitors and users of select foreign wallet and payment apps to scan the bank’s UPI QR codes at merchants across India and pay directly through their home-country apps.

How does the system work?

The system works similarly to how international visitors pay in their own country.

There is no need to set up an Indian payment app or carry cash, as users can scan a Bank of Baroda UPI QR code through their payment app and complete the transaction instantly.

This is part of NPCI International’s efforts to make digital payment systems interoperable across borders, allowing travellers to use familiar payment platforms when spending in India.

Who can use this system?

Any visitors from countries participating in NPCI International’s Global Payments ecosystem, including Singapore, the UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, the United States, Qatar, and France, can use this system.

How does the system help the tourists and merchants in India?

The service makes payments easier for tourists by eliminating the need for cash, currency exchange or an Indian bank account. For merchants, it opens access to international customers through existing UPI QR codes.

“Bank of Baroda is proud to introduce UPI Global Reverse Acceptance, an important step towards making digital payments more accessible across borders. By enabling international visitors to make merchant payments through payment applications they already use and are familiar with, we are enhancing convenience for travelers while creating new business opportunities for our merchants,” said Sanjay Mudaliar, Executive Director of Bank of Baroda

“UPI Global Reverse Acceptance strengthens our merchant acquiring franchise and reflects Bank of Baroda’s commitment to innovation and building a globally interoperable digital payments ecosystem,” Mudaliar adds

UPI transactions witnessed a more than 4,000-fold jump over the decade

UPI, launched on August 25, 2016, has transformed India’s digital payments landscape, with transaction value surging from ₹0.07 lakh crore in FY17 to around ₹314 lakh crore in FY26, a more than 4,000-fold increase over the decade.

Experts feel that UPI has emerged as one of the most successful pillars of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), providing an interoperable, real-time payments platform that enables seamless peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transactions through a single application.