UPI Expands to Uzbekistan Through UZQR Payment Integration

NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) , the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India, entered into a commercial agreement with Uzbekistan’s National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC) . NIPC operates HUMO , Uzbekistan’s national payment system. The agreement was signed on 30 August 2026 , while the Government of India formally announced the development on 31 August 2026 . It was announced in connection with the Prime Minister of India’s bilateral visit to Uzbekistan.  UPI and UZQR Integration Under the partnership, Indian travellers visiting Uzbekistan will be able to use their existing UPI-enabled applications to scan UZQR , Uzbekistan’s national interoperable QR code. Payments can then be made directly from the traveller’s Indian bank account to participating merchants in Uzbekistan. The integration is expected to provide broad acceptance across: Retail stores Hotels and hospitality establishments Service-sector merchants This reduces the need for Indian visitors to depend heavily on physical cash or international payment cards. Who Will Benefit? The facility is particularly intended to benefit: Indian tourists visiting Uzbekistan Business travellers Indian students studying in Uzbekistan The system enables Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions using familiar Indian UPI applications. Role of HUMO HUMO is Uzbekistan’s national payment system operated by NIPC. Under the arrangement, HUMO has been designated as NIPL’s authorised partner for cross-border merchant acceptance . The partnership integrates UPI with the Unified National QR infrastructure (UZQR) mandated by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.  Regulatory Approvals The cross-border payment arrangement received formal regulatory approvals from: India: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Uzbekistan: Central Bank of Uzbekistan (CBU) These approvals provide the regulatory framework required for UPI-based merchant payments between the two payment ecosystems. Expansion of India's Digital Payment Infrastructure The agreement represents another step in expanding India's digital public infrastructure internationally. UPI payment acceptance was already available in countries including Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Greece when the Uzbekistan partnership was announced.  The Uzbekistan integration further strengthens digital-payment connectivity between India and Central Asia.