NRIs can now use international mobile numbers to make UPI payments in India

ICICI Bank announced on Monday that it has enabled NRI customers in the UAE and nine other countries to use their international mobile number to make UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments instantly in India.

The move by the leading Indian lender woul significantly enhance NRIs' convenience of making everyday payments.

Until now, an NRI would need a valid Indian mobile number to set up a UPI ID and use any UPI app.

Using their international mobile number linked to non-resident external (NRE) or non-resident ordinary (NRO) bank accounts held with ICICI Bank in India, the bank’s NRI customers can use this feature to pay for their utility bills, merchant and e-commerce transactions. The bank has made this service available through its mobile banking app, iMobile Pay.

In February, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE, an agreement was reached to interlink their payment platforms and domestic debit or credit cards of the two countries. The development centred on linking instant payment platforms, UPI of India and AANI of the UAE. This followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on interlinking payment and messaging systems in July last year during the PM’s visit to Abu Dhabi. Because of this interlinking, people can directly send and receive money between bank accounts in the two countries using just mobile phone numbers. Also, businesses can accept payments from each other’s countries instantly and securely, boosting trade and commerce.

UPI was developed by NPCI which was established by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks Association (IBA). It enables real time, person to merchant transactions, inter-bank peer to peer transactions.