UPI in France: Indians can now pay in rupees at Eiffel Tower

New Delhi, Feb 2, 2024

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was formally launched at the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the Indian Republic day reception on Friday, February 2, which means that tourists now visiting the iconic monument can conveniently book their trips using India's payment mechanism.

According to an announcement by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), their international arm NPCI International Payments (NIPL) has partnered with the French e-commerce and proximity payments platform Lyra to facilitate the acceptance of UPI payments in Europe, starting with Eiffel Tower.

Embassy of India in France on Friday tweeted, "UPI formally launched at the iconic Eiffel Tower at the huge Republic Day Reception. Implementing PM Narendra Modi's announcement & the vision of taking UPI global."

An official statement revealed that Indian tourists, who currently rank as the second-largest group of international visitors to the Eiffel Tower, can now purchase tickets online using the UPI payment mechanism. The transaction process is described as quick, easy, and hassle-free, allowing tourists to scan a QR code generated on the merchant's website to initiate the payment.

Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NIPL, expressed the aspiration to promote NPCI's payment solutions globally and establish an interoperable global payment system. "We aim at actively collaborating with financial institutions worldwide to establish partnerships and provide consumers with convenient and secure cross-border payment solutions," Shukla said.

Christophe Mariette, Commercial Director of Lyra France, highlighted the company's 17-year presence in India and said, "For the players in the French and European tourism ecosystem, this partnership represents a major advancement and the promise of new business opportunities to come," he said.

[The Times of India]