In a significant step towards revolutionising cross-border money transfers, Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, today unveiled the UPI–UPU Integration Project at the 28th Universal Postal Congress in Dubai. The initiative brings together India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the Department of Posts (DoP), NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), and the Universal Postal Union (UPU), paving the way for secure and affordable digital transactions across 192 countries.
The project aims to link UPI with the UPU Interconnection Platform (IP), combining the global reach of the postal network with the speed and low-cost efficiency of UPI. This means that families, migrant workers, and small businesses worldwide could soon send and receive money across borders in a faster, safer, and more transparent manner.
₹79,990″>Mobile Finder: iPhone 17 India launch today, likely to be priced at ₹79,990
Minister’s remarks
Calling it “more than a technology launch, but a social compact”, Scindia underlined that the integration will reduce transaction costs while ensuring reliability and accessibility. He explained India’s broader vision for a modern postal ecosystem anchored in four pillars: connect, include, modernise, and cooperate.
He highlighted India’s scale of inclusion under Digital India, noting that over 560 million bank accounts have been opened, most in women’s names, and that India Post handled 900 million letters and parcels in the past year.
Support and future plans
Scindia also announced a commitment of 10 million US dollars to support innovation in e-commerce and digital payments under this cycle. India further declared its candidature for the Council of Administration and the Postal Operations Council of the UPU, signalling its long-term commitment to strengthening global postal and digital payment systems.
Concluding his address, the Minister stated, “India comes to you not with proposals, but with partnership. We believe in resilience, enabling interoperable solutions that avoid costly fragmentation, and in trust, linking payments, identity, addressing and logistics so that global commerce becomes seamless.”
What this means
If rolled out successfully, the UPI–UPU integration could mark one of the largest expansions of India’s digital payment system, extending its benefits beyond national borders to nearly every country worldwide. For millions of migrants and families dependent on remittances, this may mean lower fees, faster transfers, and greater financial security.
