The adoption of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in France is not only simplifying digital transactions for Indian visitors but also playing a key role in the rising number of Indian tourists to the country.
Christophe Mariette, Chairman of Lyra Network, revealed in an exclusive interview with ANI during the Global Fintech Fest 2025 that UPI’s integration into popular tourist destinations in France, such as the Eiffel Tower, has contributed to a remarkable 40 percent increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting the country.
“We launched UPI at the Eiffel Tower more than a year ago, and it’s going quite well. More and more Indian tourists are visiting the Eiffel Tower. I was with the general manager of the Eiffel Tower a few weeks ago, and he told me that the number of Indian tourists has increased by 40 percent,” Mariette shared.
For Indian tourists travelling abroad, the familiarity and security of using UPI, their preferred digital payment method, has proven to be reassuring. “When you are in a country, you feel much more secure if you are using your own payment method. And the great thing with UPI is that you see exactly the amount of the expense in rupees, and the same amount is deducted from your account. It’s very secure for Indian tourists when they come to France to pay with UPI,” he added.
Mariette also touched upon Lyra Network’s extensive operations in India, where the company has been active for over 18 years, collaborating with major banks and holding a payment aggregator agreement with the Reserve Bank of India. He expressed his excitement over the growing acceptance of UPI.
Looking ahead, Mariette announced that UPI payments would soon be accepted at Bicester Village in France, with the first location being La Vallee Village. “Indians love to do luxury shopping but with discounts, and this is what Bicester provides,” he said, underlining the growing integration between India’s fintech ecosystem and global retail destinations.