ICICI Bank allows NRI UPI payments with international mobile numbers

ICICI Bank has announced that NRIs can now use their international mobile numbers to make UPI payments instantly in India. This makes it much easier for them to manage the daily payments.

They can pay bills, go shopping and more using their international mobile numbers linked to their NRE/NRO bank accounts with ICICI Bank. This service is provided through the iMobile Pay application. Before this, NRIs had to register an Indian mobile number to make UPI payments.

To make this happen, ICICI Bank used the international infrastructure set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for UPI in different countries.

The daily transaction limit for UPI is INR 1,00,000. For new UPI/VPA ID registrations, the limit is INR 5,000 for the first 24 hours and then resets to INR 1,00,000. UPI transactions are only available in Indian Rupees (INR).

Currently, there are no charges for NRIs using UPI, but this may change as per NPCI guidelines as indicated by ICICI Bank.

Steps to Activate UPI on International Mobile Number Using iMobile Pay:

1. Log in to the iMobile Pay application.
2. Click on 'UPI Payments'.
3. Verify your mobile number.
4. Click “Manage” → “My Profile”.
5. Create a new UPI ID (choose from the suggested options).
6. Select the account number and submit.

availability

NRIs from 10 countries including US, UK, UAE, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia can make UPI payments by scanning QR codes or sending money to UPI ID, Indian mobile numbers or bank accounts.

Commenting on the initiative, Sidharatha Mishra, Head of Digital Channels and Partnerships, ICICI Bank, said:

We are happy to collaborate with NPCI to introduce UPI feature on international mobile numbers through iMobile Pay. This advancement eliminates the need for our NRI customers residing in 10 countries to switch to an Indian mobile number for UPI payments.

This launch underscores our dedication to providing innovative solutions to our NRI customers, ensuring a secure and hassle-free payment experience. We have received encouraging feedback from our NRI customers who have adopted this feature. Through this initiative, we aim to leverage NPCI's UPI infrastructure to strengthen and revolutionize the digital payments landscape globally.