Bhutan adopts India’s BHIM-UPI payment system

NEW DELHI: Bhutan on Tuesday became the first country to adopt India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) standards for its quick response (QR) code.

In a virtual ceremony, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Bhutanese counterpart Lyonpo Namgay Tshering jointly launched BHIM-UPI in Bhutan.

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is India’s digital payment application that works through UPI, which is an instant real-time payment system. The UPI enables multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application.

Bhutan is also the first country in India’s immediate neighbourhood to accept mobile-based payments through the BHIM App.