Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France from July 11–13, 2023, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. The visit was the first by an Indian prime minister to France in six years. A series of issues were discussed between two leaders on various issues, including trade, investment, defence, and climate change, and the situation in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific region was also discussed.
A joint statement was issued after the meeting, which stated that they agreed to strengthen their strategic partnerships and work on common global challenges. Major new initiatives were also announced, including artificial intelligence and space cooperation partnerships. Prime Minister Modi also attended the cultural event at the Grand Palais in Paris. The visit seems to have been a success and strengthens the ties between India and France for future projects and partnerships.
Just after the day of his visit, France adopted the very first digital policy amid the political partnership with India. France has adopted UPI on 15th July 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India and France had agreed to use UPI in France. This means that Indian tourists will now be able to use UPI to make payments in rupees at merchants in France that accept UPI.
UPI is a real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It allows users to make instant payments to merchants and individuals using their mobile phones. UPI is one of the most popular payment methods in India, and it is growing in popularity in other countries as well. The adoption of UPI in France is a significant development, as it opens up new opportunities for Indian tourists and businesses. It also shows that UPI is a global payment method that is gaining traction in other countries.
Benefits of UPI in France:
UPI is the most secured digital payment method in India. France adopted UPI as a payment method for Indian tourists which will make the transactions easy and secure as it is already a trusted method by Indians. As UPI is already installed in almost every Indian’s smartphones it will be convenient for them to use it in a foreign country. The usage of UPI in France makes the travel for Indians cost-efficient for Indian tourists.
The next visit of any Indian to France will be worthwhile in terms of money, transactions and security. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the UPI more efficient globally.
