🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk

📌 The Question:

Consider the following countries:

I. United Arab Emirates
II. France
III. Germany
IV. Singapore
V. Bangladesh

How many countries amongst the above are there other than India where international merchant payments are accepted under UPI?

(a) Only two
(b) Only three
(c) Only four
(d) All the five

✅ Correct Answer: (b) Only three

🧠 Curiosity Raiser

How did a domestic payment rail built for India’s masses begin ringing cash registers abroad?
Because low-cost, interoperable, real-time payments travel faster than diplomacy.

📘 Enrichment Notes (Prelims-Ready)

🔹 UPI International Acceptance

UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is developed by NPCI and enables instant bank-to-bank payments via mobile.

Countries where UPI international merchant payments are accepted (at select outlets):

• United Arab Emirates ✅
• France ✅
• Singapore ✅
• Bhutan
• Mauritius
• Nepal
• Sri Lanka

Applying to the list

• United Arab Emirates ✅
• France ✅
• Germany ❌ (not enabled)
• Singapore ✅
• Bangladesh ❌ (not enabled)

➡️ Total = 3 countries

🔑 One-Line Recall

UPI abroad ≠ remittances
It means paying merchants directly using Indian UPI apps.

🧘‍♂️ IAS Monk Whisper

When payments become seamless, borders become footnotes.