The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and the Namibian Central Bank have agreed to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

This agreement, confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs, will facilitate the deployment of UPI in Namibia for real-time payments. It marks a significant step towards enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the digital sphere.

The UPI-based Instant Payment System

NIPL and the Bank of Namibia (BoN) are collaborating to modernize Namibia’s financial landscape by adopting India’s UPI technology. This partnership is aimed at establishing a real-time payment system, improving digital finance services, and promoting economic inclusivity and growth.

The initiative will allow individuals and merchants to send money more swiftly using just their mobile devices, thereby fostering digitization. NPCI, an organization under the Reserve Bank of India and Indian Banks’ Association, developed UPI as a real-time payment system.

This is the first time that NPCI International has partnered with a central bank to implement UPI in another country. The collaboration follows recent updates by NPCI regarding its Numerci UPI ID service, which included new guidelines intended to enhance interoperability and user experience for UPI number-based payments.

The updated rules began to take effect on April 1st, 2025, requiring banks, UPI app providers, and third-party apps to adhere to the new standards. These changes involved deactivating UPI IDs linked to dormant mobile numbers to ensure that all registered numbers are current and active.