Paytm Enables UPI Payments For NRIs Across 12 Countries

Paytm has rolled out a beta feature that lets Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) use their international mobile numbers to access UPI payments on the Paytm app. The update enables NRIs to log in with foreign numbers, link NRE or NRO bank accounts, and carry out everyday UPI transactions in India — from paying at neighbourhood shops to transferring money to family or shopping online — without needing an Indian SIM or manual currency conversion.

The feature, powered by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is currently available to users in 12 countries, including the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France and Saudi Arabia. Paytm says NRI users will also retain access to in-app tools such as spend analysis, downloadable UPI statements and consolidated balance tracking across multiple accounts.

Key takeaways

• NRIs in the supported markets can now log in to Paytm using international numbers and link NRE/NRO accounts to make UPI payments in India.

• The rollout is in beta and available in 12 countries, including the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Canada, France and Saudi Arabia.

• Paytm highlights features such as spend analysis and downloadable UPI statements to support reconciliation and oversight.

• The move aligns with Paytm’s broader strategic shift to focus on payments after group consolidation and cost optimisation.

For NRIs, the change removes a recurrent logistical hurdle: accessing India-centric payment rails while physically abroad. The ability to authenticate and use UPI with an international number simplifies routine tasks such as paying Indian vendors, settling shared expenses, or buying domestic subscriptions. For merchants and payment acceptance partners, wider NRI adoption of UPI can help close conversion friction at the point of sale and reduce reliance on card rails or cross-border wallets.

From Paytm’s perspective, the rollout dovetails with a broader international push. In its FY25 annual report the company said, “For additional long-term growth, we are exploring opportunities in select international geographies, expecting to see results from these ventures after three years, leveraging our technology-led merchant payments and financial services distribution model.” The NRI UPI flow represents an early operationalisation of that aim.

The international NRI feature follows Paytm’s earlier UPI International launches and comes after a period of strategic consolidation. The company has pared back non-core ventures and refocused on payments and merchant services. In the first quarter of FY26, Paytm reported a return to profitability with a net profit of INR 122.5 crore, a reversal from an INR 840 crore loss in the same quarter last year, and revenue growth of 28% year-on-year to INR 1,918 crore. Paytm says its payments business contributed more than half of operating revenue during the quarter.

The company has also moved to simplify group structure and channel capital to priority subsidiaries: in August the board approved INR 455 crore of investments across units including Paytm Money and the operational arm PSPL. Concurrently, Paytm has exited or scaled down several non-core businesses.

Compliance, user experience and limits

The Paytm update is positioned as a convenience upgrade, but it raises practical considerations. Linking international numbers to NRE/NRO accounts must align with KYC, foreign remittance rules and banking interoperability. For NRIs who manage multiple accounts or currencies, the feature’s usefulness will hinge on transparent FX handling, limits on UPI transaction types for foreign-linked numbers, and the clarity of statements for tax or reconciliation purposes.

Paytm’s emphasis on spend analytics and downloadable UPI statements is a response to this need: visible records help users reconcile transactions across borders and maintain auditable trails for household or business accounting.

At a product level, the change is incremental but strategically meaningful. It tightens Paytm’s grip on the Indian payments market while extending its addressable user base overseas. For NRIs, the immediate benefit is usability; for Paytm, it is a channel to monetise cross-border engagement and deepen wallet stickiness.

If adoption scales, the feature could influence how Indian merchants design checkout flows and how fintechs position cross-border payment products, moving some activity from cards and FX corridors into UPI’s low-cost rails.