Scindia launches UPI-UPU integration; initiative to boost cross-border remittances

New Delhi, Sept 9 (PTI) Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled the UPI–UPU integration project at the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai, an initiative that would combine the strength of India’s Unified Payments Interface and Universal Postal Union Interconnection Platform to transform cross-border remittances, an official release said on Tuesday.

Describing it as "more than a technology launch, but a social compact", Scindia, Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, said the reliability of the postal network combined with the speed of UPI means families across borders can send money faster, safer and at much lower cost.

The initiative, developed by India's Postal Department (DoP), NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), integrates India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with the UPU Interconnection Platform (IP), "combining the reach of the postal network with the speed and affordability of UPI", the release said.

"It reaffirms that public infrastructure built for citizens can be linked across borders to serve humanity better," the Minister said.

Scindia outlined India’s vision for a modern, inclusive postal sector.

"To connect through seamless data-driven logistics; to include by delivering affordable digital financial services to every migrant and digital enterprise; to modernise with AI, DigiPIN and machine learning; and to cooperate through South–South partnerships with a UPU-backed technical cell," he said.

With Aadhaar, Jan Dhan and India Post Payments Bank, over 560 million accounts have been opened, most in women’s names, he said.

"India Post delivered over 900 million letters and parcels last year. This is the scale and spirit of inclusion we bring to the global stage," he added.

The Minister announced financial support, committing 10 million dollars during this cycle to channel technology into innovation, with special focus on e-commerce and digital payments, as per the release.

He also announced India’s candidature for the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council of the UPU, highlighting commitment to building a connected, inclusive, and sustainable future for the global postal community, the release said.

Akash Sinha, CEO and Co-Founder of Cashfree Payments, noted that for decades, cross-border money movement has been expensive, opaque and slow, and now by combining the global reach of postal networks with the speed and affordability of UPI, India has created an inclusive model for remittances that is faster, safer and more cost-effective.

"For fintechs like us, such developments reaffirm the potential of interoperable payment rails to simplify money movement across borders, while creating an ecosystem where compliance, credit, and reconciliation can be layered on top," Sinha added.

Deepak Chand Thakur, CEO and Co-founder of NPST, said the development is a validation of India’s position as a payments innovator and system builder.

"By combining the ubiquity of the postal network with the speed and affordability of UPI, India has shown how digital public infrastructure can reshape cross-border remittances - making them faster, more secure, and significantly more affordable," Thakur added. PTI MBI MBI MR