It would be possible for travellers to Mauritius to now use a RuPay card for shopping and cash withdrawals in the African nation. Indians visiting Mauritius and Sri Lanka can use the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system to pay using their mobile phones.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his counterparts in Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe witnessed the virtual launch of RuPay cards and UPI connectivity between India and their respective countries. The Reserve Bank of India Governor, Shaktikanta Das; the Bank of Mauritius Governor, Harvesh Seegolam; and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor, Nandalal Weerasinghe, were also present on the occasion.

In his remarks, Modi hoped the new fintech services would help the two nations and said the UPI is implementing “the new responsibilities of uniting partners with India.“

“Today is a special day for the three friendly countries of the Indian Ocean Region as we are linking our historic ties with modern digital technology,” he said. The PM said digital public infrastructure has brought about a revolutionary change in India. He also highlighted India‘s focus on its neighborhood-first policy. “Be it a natural disaster, health-related, economic, or supporting on the international stage, India has been the first responder and will continue to be so,” he said.

With this connectivity, an Indian traveller to Mauritius will be able to pay a merchant in Mauritius using UPI. Similarly, a Mauritian traveller will be able to do the same in India using the Instant Payment System (IPS) app of Mauritius. Further, with the adoption of RuPay technology, the MauCAS card scheme of Mauritius will enable banks in Mauritius to issue RuPay cards domestically. Such cards can be used at ATMs and PoS terminals locally in Mauritius as well as in India. With this, Mauritius becomes the first country outside Asia to issue cards using RuPay technology.

Indian RuPay cards will also be accepted at ATMs and PoS terminals in Mauritius.

The digital payments connectivity with Sri Lanka will enable Indian travellers to make QR code-based payments at merchant locations in Sri Lanka using their UPI apps. These projects have been developed and executed by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), along with partner banks and non-banks from Mauritius and Sri Lanka, under the guidance and support of the RBI. The above facilities have been made operational through select banks, non-banks, and third-party application providers in India, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka. Going forward, these facilities will be scaled up, a statement issued by the RBI said.

Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI is an instant real-time payment system to facilitate inter-bank transactions through mobile phones. RuPay is a global card payment network from India, with wide acceptance at shops, ATMs, and online.

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