Several foreign leaders visiting India have expressed their amazement at the technology of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and French President Emmanuel Macron is no different. While recounting his experience with the UPI, Macron stated, “I wouldn’t forget the chai (tea) we (he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi) shared together, because this was a chai paid with UPI. This is innovation.” The French President was during Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s official banquet organised for President Macron at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On 25th January, PM Modi and President Macron enjoyed kulhad (clay cup) tea at a store in Jaipur near the iconic Hawa Mahal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his phone’s UPI app to pay the bill for the tea while a surprised Emmanuel Macron looked on. Macron was further astonished as PM Modi showed him that the shop owner had received a payment confirmation on his phone instantly.
President Macron also mentioned how the UPI system’s effectiveness was demonstrated by the manner in which PM Modi’s payment confirmation showed up on the store owner’s phone. Additionally, he emphasised the strength of the friendship between France and India and expressed his gratitude for being a part of India’s Republic Day celebrations. Macron highlighted the intimacy of his and PM Modi’s interactions, characterising them as friends reuniting with the excitement of new learning.
President Macron referred to 26th January as “such an important day” and pointed out the close ties between France and India. The French President remarked, “We don’t seem to be able to stay apart. Our meetings have the warmth of friends meeting again, without losing the freshness of new discovery. You were in July in France and I am here in Delhi today.”
France has voiced a strong desire to take advantage of India’s UPI. It was announced during PM Modi’s visit to France in July last year that UPI would be implemented as a payment method beginning at the Eiffel Tower, enabling Indian visitors to France to make transactions in rupees. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also inked by the overseas branch of the global arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI) with Lyra Network in France to allow the latter to take RuPay and UPI.
UPI’s appeal extends beyond France. Japan has indicated interest following the visit of the country’s Digital Minister Kona Taro who witnessed firsthand the extensive use of UPI while in India. The Japanese minister was surprised to witness that everyone in the Khan Market coffee shop in Delhi was using QR codes to make online payments. Japan started talking about the UPI system’s execution at a high-level meeting after the minister’s return to Japan.
The fact that UPI is gaining traction as a digital payment system is evidenced by the reality that several countries are considering implementing it to improve their own financial systems. Leaders throughout the world have been influenced by UPI’s simplicity and efficacy which has made it a representation of India’s technological innovation in the arena of digital payments.