Sub-headline: Indian travellers will be able to use UPI-enabled apps to scan Uzbekistan’s UZQR codes and pay merchants directly from their Indian bank accounts. The facility will reduce dependence on cash and international cards.
Highlights:
- UPI payments to expand across Uzbekistan through UZQR
- NIPL and Uzbekistan’s NIPC signed commercial agreement
- Indians can pay merchants directly from their bank accounts
- Facility expected across retail, hospitality and services
- RBI and Central Bank of Uzbekistan have approved the arrangement
- HUMO will be NIPL’s authorised partner for merchant acceptance
Story
Indian travellers visiting Uzbekistan will soon be able to use UPI-enabled applications to make payments at merchants across the country, making transactions easier without relying heavily on cash or international payment cards.
NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, signed a commercial agreement with Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC) on August 30, 2026. NIPC operates HUMO, Uzbekistan’s national payment system.
Under the partnership, UPI will be integrated with Uzbekistan’s national interoperable QR code infrastructure, UZQR.
Once the integration becomes operational, Indian travellers will be able to scan UZQR codes using their UPI-enabled apps and make person-to-merchant payments directly from their Indian bank accounts.
The facility is expected to expand UPI acceptance across a wider network of merchants in Uzbekistan, covering areas such as retail, hospitality and other services.
The arrangement has received regulatory approvals from the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek central bank has also designated HUMO as NIPL’s authorised partner for cross-border merchant acceptance.
The payment facility is expected to benefit Indian tourists, students and business travellers by reducing their dependence on cash and international debit or credit cards for everyday purchases.
The partnership also strengthens digital payment cooperation between India and Uzbekistan. Integration with UZQR will expand the international reach of India’s UPI ecosystem while supporting cooperation in digital public infrastructure and cross-border payments.
The agreement was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral visit to Uzbekistan, amid growing economic and strategic ties between the two countries.
UPI has already expanded its international merchant-payment footprint. According to NIPL, international UPI merchant payments have been enabled in Singapore, the UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Greece.
The addition of Uzbekistan is expected to further expand India’s digital payments ecosystem overseas as tourism, education and business exchanges between the two countries continue to grow
