Worldline, the French multinational payment services firm collaborated with NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on October 11, 2022, to support Indian digital payment modes in Europe. The partnership between NIPL and Worldline is reportedly aimed at expanding the acceptance of Indian payment means across Europe. Worldline’s QR code-based mechanism will now allow merchants’ Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems in Europe to accept UPI payments from Indians using their mobile phones.

The press release issued by NPCI stated: 

As part of the partnership, Worldline will bring more convenience for Indian customers in the European markets by allowing merchants’ point-of-sale (POS) systems to accept payments from UPI, an instant real-time payment system, as well as RuPay, NPCI’s proprietary card payment network solution. This will result in a multitude of customer-related merchant benefits due to an increase in footfall and spending from Indian tourists.

Deputy CEO of Worldline, Marc-Henri Desportes, said: 

Our analyses of international customers’ payment behaviour have indicated a push away from international card schemes in recent times, and a preference for any mobile payment method they are acquainted. Our partnership with NPCI International seeks to mitigate the risk of excluding or limiting Indian customers from safely using electronic payments in the EU.

Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NIPL said: 

In Worldline, we found a partner that provides us with good coverage of the European markets as well as an advanced and universally applicable solution. The rollout of acceptance of UPI-powered Apps and RuPay Cards across Europe is important to us, as we expect increased mobility of Indians in the continent in the coming years. We believe this partnership will empower Indian consumers to continue using their preferred payment modes as they travel across Europe.