India’s RuPay card has is now available in the UAE with prime minister Narendra Modi launching it in Dubai. The UAE becomes the first country in West Asia to initiate the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment. The RuPay cards have already been launched in Singapore and Bhutan. The prime minister made a special purchase which he will offer as ‘prasad’ at the Shreenathji Temple in Bahrain. Before the launch, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI and UAE’s Mercury Payments Services entered into an MoU to create a technology interface between the payment platforms in India and UAE. Some 21 major business groups – including Lulu, Petrochem Middle East, NMC Healthcare and Landmark – in the UAE will be accepting RuPay as a mode of payment. The UAE receives about 3 million Indian tourists annually and acceptance of RuPay cards in merchant establishments will go a long way in lowering the exchange rates. RuPay cards will be accepted at 175,000 merchant locations and 5000 ATM and cash access locations within the UAE.
