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Non-Resident Indians (NRI) will now be able to use their international mobile numbers to access the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued new guidelines allowing NRIs in ten countries to use their international mobile numbers to access UPI services for bank accounts classified as Non Resident External (NRE) or Non Resident Ordinary (NRO).
NRIs in these countries will now be able to activate a UPI account using their local mobile number with an international country code. Keep in mind that creating a UPI ID for any app necessitates the use of a valid India mobile phone number.
When a user activates UPI through a mobile app such as Google Pay or Paytm, the app sends an SMS from the number confirming that the mobile number is linked to the bank. So, for those who move abroad, accessing UPI requires them to keep their India numbers active, which can be costly given the costs of international roaming.
These users can now use UPI without relying on their India mobile phone number. According to the NPCI order, member banks must ensure that the UPI account is only permitted “in accordance with the extant FEMA regulations and adherence to the guidelines/instructions issued by the concerned regulatory departments of the Reserve Bank of India from time to time.” Furthermore, all “necessary Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating Terrorism Financing (CT) checks and compliance validation/account level validations to the extent” must be applied to these bank accounts.