Bhutan was the first country to adopt India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) standards for its QR code-based payments in July 2021. This initiative, launched with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, enabled real-time, cashless transactions for Indian travelers using the BHIM app.
Bhutan – First Country to Accept UPI
Launch date: 13 July 2021 (virtual ceremony). Launched by: Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman & Finance Minister of Bhutan, Lyonpo Namgay Tshering. First country to adopt UPI standards for QR deployment.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched UPI in 2016, revolutionising digital transactions. This secure interface allows instant payments by linking multiple bank accounts to a mobile app, transforming daily finances.
Namibia became the first African nation to adopt India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) technology for its own financial ecosystem. In early 2024 (specifically April), the Bank of Namibia signed a partnership agreement with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL).
UPI is owned and developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). NPCI is an organisation that operates retail payments and settlement systems in India, and it manages UPI as part of its efforts to streamline digital payments.
The Kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia was the first foreign country to accept Islam when it was unknown in most parts of the world. The kingdom also favored its expansion and making Islam present in the country since the times of Muhammad (571–632).
NPCI guidelines allow UPI Payments to India in INR, via overseas numbers from countries including Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, UK and USA for INR transactions in India.
3: BHIM UPI has the added advantage of being backed by the government, so it is regarded as safer and secure compared to Google Pay. Though Google Pay has enhanced security features like biometric authentication as well as PIN or pattern, extensive data syncing makes it less secure.
UPI excels in India for peer-to-peer transfers, offering instant, free transactions using mobile numbers or QR codes. Zelle is ideal for quick, domestic U.S. transfers between bank accounts. Lightspark outperforms both by enabling instant, low-cost global transfers, eliminating geographical limitations.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. The pilot launch occurred on April 11, 2016, and was inaugurated by Dr. Raghuram G Rajan, the then Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
It uses USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) technology, which works on basic phones too. This service helps people across India do banking just by dialling *99# from their mobile.
Top Best UPI Apps in India for 2025 – Detailed Comparison
As of 2025, India has over 65 million active merchants on UPI, making it the largest digital payments network in the world.
Google Pay, also known as GPay, is a mobile payment application developed by Google.
Explanation: Statement 1 is correct: Namibia became the first African nation to adopt a UPI-based digital payments system, expanding India's digital payments footprint globally.
India's UPI ecosystem continues to redefine digital payments — clocking billions of transactions every month. And leading the charge are a few giants who dominate the space. PhonePe reigns supreme with 8.96 Bn transactions, followed by Google Pay at 6.83 Bn and Paytm at 1.39 Bn.
Pioneered and developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), BHIM was launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on December 30, 2016. The app aims to promote financial inclusion and make India a digitally empowered society.
Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can use the UPI app for transactions in India using their registered overseas mobile number. This facility is available for NRIs from specific approved geographies, including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, the UK, USA, France and the Malaysia.
Yes, you can use Google Pay from the USA to send money to India by integrating with services like Wise or Western Union within the US Google Pay app, but you need an Indian recipient with a UPI ID or bank account and an Indian phone number to receive it. The US Google Pay app was discontinued in June 2024, so you'll use the Google Wallet app (which is the new name for GPay in the US) to initiate international transfers powered by partners like Wise to send money to India.
You can use an NRE bank account to store foreign currency converted to Indian rupees, while an NRO account is used to keep both foreign income and money earned in India. NRO accounts have a limit for repatriation up to USD 1 million per financial year, but NRE accounts have no such limit.
The oldest stratum of religion in western and central Africa is Orisha religion, which mutually obligated humans and members of the extraordinary realm of divine and ancestral beings. Beginning in the ninth century of the Common Era, varieties of Islam would become familiar to the region.
According to Arab oral tradition, Islam first came to Africa with Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in the Arab peninsula. This was followed by a military invasion, some seven years after the death of the prophet Mohammed in 639, under the command of the Muslim Arab General, Amr ibn al-Asi.