New Delhi: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) International and Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC) have entered into a partnership to enable Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments across Uzbekistan, a finance ministry statement said.
The partnership will enable Indian tourists, business travellers and students to make instant merchant payments by scanning Uzbekistan's national interoperable QR code, Unified National QR infrastructure (UZQR).
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, entered into a commercial agreement NIPC, operator of Uzbekistan’s national payment system, HUMO, on August 30, 2026, the ministry said.
"The partnership enables Indian travellers to scan Uzbekistan’s national interoperable QR code UZQR using their familiar UPI-enabled applications to make instant merchant payments across the country," it said.
The announcement was made during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Uzbekistan.
The execution of the agreement follows formal approvals from financial regulators, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU), which designated HUMO as NIPL’s authorised partner for cross-border merchant acceptance.
By integrating with CBU's mandated UZQR, UPI users gain near-universal acceptance across retail, hospitality, and service merchants in Uzbekistan.
Indian tourists, business travellers, and students can make direct Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments from their Indian bank accounts, eliminating foreign exchange markup friction and reducing reliance on international cards or cash.
"The initiative advances digital public infrastructure cooperation and aligns with both nations' broader strategic and economic goals," the ministry added.
UPI is currently accepted in 10 countries:
"Partnership between NIPL and Uzbekistan’s National payment system marks a significant step in expanding UPI’s international footprint," the ministry added.