Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong recently launched cross-border linkage between India and Singapore using their respective Fast Payment Systems, viz. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and PayNow.
The UPI-PayNow linkage will enable users of the two fast payment systems in either country to make convenient, safe, instant, and cost-effective cross-border funds transfers using their respective mobile apps. Funds held in bank accounts or e-wallets can be transferred to / from India using just the UPI-id, mobile number, or Virtual Payment Address (VPA).
As per the RBI, to begin with, State Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank and ICICI Bank will facilitate both inward and outward remittances while Axis Bank and DBS India will facilitate inward remittances. For Singapore users, the service will be made available through DBS-Singapore and Liquid Group (a non-bank financial institution). More banks will be included in the linkage over time.
Customers of the above participating banks can undertake cross-border remittances to Singapore using the bank’s mobile banking app / internet banking. To begin with, an Indian user can remit up to ₹60,000 in a day (equivalent to around SGD 1,000). At the time of making the transaction, the system shall dynamically calculate and display the amount in both currencies for convenience of the user.
