India, Spain Begin Technical Talks On Linking UPI With Bizum

India and Spain have agreed to fast-track technical discussions on linking India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Spain's Bizum digital payments platform, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The decision was taken during the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal's recent visit to Spain. During the visit, the two countries also discussed measures to strengthen bilateral trade and investment, improve cooperation in sectors such as technology and innovation, and facilitate the movement of skilled professionals.

According to the ministry, officials agreed to begin detailed technical discussions aimed at allowing interoperability between UPI and Bizum. If the proposed arrangement is implemented, users of the two payment systems would be able to make certain cross-border digital transactions through their existing platforms, subject to the operational framework agreed upon by both countries.

Technical Integration Yet to Be Finalised

Neither India nor Spain has announced a timeline for completing the proposed integration. The discussions will involve technical and regulatory aspects, including payment standards, settlement mechanisms, security protocols, and compliance requirements before the two systems can be connected.

Bizum is Spain's instant payment platform that allows users of participating banks to send and receive money digitally.

This proposal is still at the discussion stage, and both governments will need to complete the required technical work before any cross-border payment facility becomes operational.

UPI's Overseas Expansion

The discussions with Spain come as UPI continues to be introduced in overseas markets through partnerships with payment networks, banks and merchant establishments.

As of July 2026, UPI is accepted in 10 countries: Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Cambodia and Greece. In several of these markets, Indian travellers can make merchant payments by scanning UPI-enabled QR codes, while some partnerships also support cross-border remittances.

According to NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI, the focus has been on working with foreign payment service providers and financial institutions to allow UPI acceptance outside India. The model varies across countries depending on local regulations and payment infrastructure.

The proposed UPI-Bizum linkage is one such initiative currently under discussion. The Commerce Ministry has not disclosed additional details on the scope of the arrangement or indicated when the technical discussions are expected to conclude. If an agreement is finalised after the technical process, Spain would join the list of countries where UPI-based payments are available in some form.