India’s NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has partnered with HitPay, a Singapore-based full-stack payments infrastructure firm, to expand United Payments Interface (UPI) acceptance across Singapore. This partnership will offer Indian travelers the convenience of making QR code-based payments at various locations, including tourist attractions, restaurants, retail stores, and more.
Last year, over 1.2 million Indian visitors travelled to Singapore, the NPCI revealed. With this partnership, NIPL aims to provide Indians travelling to Singapore with a familiar payment experience.
India’s flagship UPI, an example of effective Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), is recognized as one of the world’s most successful real-time payment systems.
“We are focused on expanding UPI’s global presence to make transactions easier for Indians traveling abroad. Our partnership with HitPay expands UPI acceptance in Singapore, offering Indians a reliable, cost-effective payment option during their travel. This collaboration also highlights our commitment to building a globally connected payments ecosystem,” said Ritesh Shukla, Chief Executive Officer of NPCI International.
UPI acceptance will be gradually introduced to more than 12,000 merchants across Singapore. This will also provide businesses with the opportunity to offer Indian consumers a seamless payment experience, both online and offline, through UPI.
“UPI has transformed India’s payment landscape with unmatched speed, simplicity, and scalability,” said Aditya Haripurkar, CEO and Co-Founder of HitPay.
“This integration reflects HitPay’s vision to be the trusted partner for merchants in Singapore, providing seamless access to the fastest-growing markets in Asia and beyond,” Haripurkar added.
This partnership marks a significant advancement in UPI’s global expansion, further solidifying its presence in the worldwide digital payments sector. By providing Indian travelers with a seamless, intuitive, and cost-effective payment solution, the partnership not only aims to improve their overall experience but also intends to strengthen economic and technological ties between India and other nations. As UPI continues to gain international acceptance, this partnership helps bridge the gap, making cross-border transactions easier and more accessible for Indian citizens while contributing to the growing interconnectedness of global financial systems.
“Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. It has not only made financial transactions fast, secure, and effortless, but also empowered individuals, small businesses, and merchants, driving the country’s shift toward a cashless economy,” India’s Finance Ministry said in a statement.
In 2024, UPI processed around 172 billion transactions, marking a 46% increase from 117.64 billion in 2023. This rise underscores a broader cultural shift toward financial inclusivity, with UPI being a central pillar.
The government-backed NPCI, responsible for powering the country’s digital payment revolution, has been expanding UPI usage within the country. NIPL, the international arm of the NPCI, has been collaborating with international partners to boost additional access. NIPL was incorporated in April 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the NPCI. It works to deploy NPCI’s successful real-time payment system—Unified Payments Interface—and card scheme (RuPay) outside of India.
NIPL is tasked with transforming payments across the globe through technology and innovation. It not only enables payments for Indians but also supports other countries by enhancing their payment capabilities using technological assistance, consulting, and infrastructure.
India is looking to expand UPI use across the world so that any Indian with a UPI account can make a payment using UPI. In 2025, UPI may expand to another four to six countries.
India-Singapore in pact beyond UPI
In addition to UPI, India and Singapore have joined forces to develop the semiconductor ecosystem for advanced manufacturing. Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited India in January, where he engaged in separate discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further strengthen bilateral relations.
In January, Modi said in an X post, “Earlier this evening, met the President of Singapore, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam. We discussed the full range of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We talked about futuristic sectors like semiconductors, digitalisation, skilling, connectivity and more. We also spoke on ways to improve cooperation in industry, infrastructure and culture,”
The Indian state of Odisha has partnered with Singaporean organizations to enhance skill development, promoting industrial and economic growth. Odisha signed eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Singaporean government in crucial areas such as fintech, semiconductors, and skill development.
One of the MoUs focuses on semiconductor training in Odisha, which will assess the demand for skilled workers in India’s semiconductor industry and the available job opportunities. This collaboration enables Singapore to develop a specialized curriculum based on its expertise in semiconductor fundamentals, processes, metrology, devices, integrated circuits, industrial automation, cleanroom technology, and design engineering.
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