Consider the following countries : I. United Arab Emirates II. France III. Germany IV. Singapore V. Bangladesh How many countries amongst the above are there other than India where international merchant payments are accepted under UPI?
- (a) Only two
- (b) Only three ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) Only four
- (d) All the five
Why the answer is (b)
• NPCI International has enabled UPI merchant payments abroad through partnerships: in the UAE (with Mashreq's NeoPay and others), in France (with Lyra, starting at the Eiffel Tower) and in Singapore (with Nets and via the UPI–PayNow link) — three of the listed countries.
• Germany has no operational UPI merchant acceptance arrangement.
• Bangladesh likewise has no UPI merchant acceptance; NPCI's South Asian partnerships are with Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives.
• Other countries with UPI acceptance include Mauritius, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar.
• Hence three, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only two
- UAE, France and Singapore all accept UPI merchant payments, so the count is three.
- (c) Only four
- Germany does not accept UPI merchant payments.
- (d) All the five
- Neither Germany nor Bangladesh has UPI merchant acceptance.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.