UPI in Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced the UPI RuPay card service with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday.

PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Abu Dhabi, introduced the digital payment card for cross-border transactions between India and the UAE. 

The countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on interlinking payment and messaging systems in July last year when the Prime Minister was in Abu Dhabi.

This is the seventh visit of the Prime Minister to the Middle East nation, the first being in 2015.

A day before on February 12, the UPI or Unified Payments Interface system was launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

France, UAE, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bhutan, and Nepal are the other nations accepting UPI payments, government data reveals.

The Prime Minister was welcomed by President Nahyan, and received a guard of honour on his arrival in the country. This was followed by a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace (Qasr Al Watan).

The visit will follow meetings for bilateral ties, and PM's address to the Indian diaspora at a special event in Abu Dhabi, with people pouring in from all of the Emirates of the UAE. 

The two nations will focus on enhancing partnership in sectors such as energy, ports, fintech, digital infrastructure, railways and investment flows. Several agreements have been lined up for signing, which will shore up cooperation in the key areas.

PM Modi will also inaugurate the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, which is the first Hindu temple in stone in Abu Dhabi.

The BAPS temple will be an enduring tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance, which both India and the UAE share, the Prime Minister said.