UPI goes live in Greece; Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal witnesses launch at Eurobank
Athens, July 1
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal witnessed the live demonstration of the Eurobank-NIPL partnership enabling India's Unified Payments Interface services at Eurobank headquarters in Athens, marking another milestone in the global expansion of India's digital payment ecosystem, according to the official press release by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
As per the release, the launch took place on Tuesday (local time) in the presence of the Eurobank CEO, Fokion Karavias, and Fairfax Digital Services CEO Sanjay Tugnait during Goyal's visit to Greece, where he is leading a delegation of senior business leaders and officials to advance bilateral economic cooperation and strengthen commercial partnerships.
Calling the launch a significant milestone, Goyal said, "The launch marks another important milestone in the global expansion of India's digital payment ecosystem."
Highlighting the benefits of the initiative, the minister said, "With UPI now live in Greece, eligible customers can transfer money instantly, securely, and seamlessly, with transaction costs reduced significantly to a fraction of those associated with conventional money transfer methods."
He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for driving India's digital transformation, stating, "The growing global acceptance and adoption of UPI reflects the trust in Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of building technology-led solutions that create value beyond borders and deepen partnerships for shared growth and prosperity."
According to the release, Goyal's visit featured a series of high-level engagements aimed at strengthening India-Greece economic ties.
The programme began with a meeting with the leadership team of Eurobank at Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens. Discussions focused on enhancing financial collaboration and exploring opportunities for investment and growth.
The delegation participated in the India-Greece Business Council Meeting and Business Forum at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). Three sectoral roundtables were convened on Infrastructure (Energy, Ports, Logistics, Shipbuilding, Warehousing, Trade, Gem and Jewellery); Digital Innovation and Defence; and Food Processing and Agriculture.
These roundtables saw the participation of business leaders from India and Greece, underscoring the strong interest in building partnerships across diverse sectors. The roundtables enabled Indian and Greek business leaders to engage in focused discussions, identify synergies, and explore avenues for collaboration across diverse sectors. The proceedings concluded with an address by Minister Goyal, highlighting the shared vision of advancing trade, investment, and innovation-led growth.
The day's proceedings culminated in the India-Greece Business Summit, attended by Ministers from both India and Greece along with senior business leaders. The Summit reaffirmed the shared vision of advancing trade, investment, and innovation-led growth.
A Networking Reception at ACCI concluded the day, providing an opportunity for informal exchanges and strengthening institutional and personal ties between the two nations.
The engagements on Day One of the visit reflect the strong momentum in India-Greece relations and highlight the commitment of both sides to building a robust and forward-looking economic partnership.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good news, but I hope transaction limits and currency conversion rates are clear for users. Also, will Greek merchants have QR codes everywhere like we have here? Convenience is great, but we need proper infrastructure and awareness among Greek businesses.
This is excellent for trade and tourism! I'm planning a trip to Santorini next month and was worried about cash. Now I can just use PhonePe or GPay. Kudos to NPCI and the government for making payments globally seamless. Makes life so much easier. 🎉
Proud moment for India! But let's also consider data security—will Indian users' financial data be subject to Greek or European laws? GDPR is strict, and I hope our RBI and MeitY have a robust data-sharing agreement in place. Trust is earned, not given.
Greece is great, but what about more significant markets like the USA, UK, or Japan? It's nice to see UPI expanding, but we have to push harder in countries with large Indian diasporas. Still, every step counts. #DigitalIndia
I appreciate the economic diplomacy angle too—Goyal's meetings with Eurobank and the business forum show that payment systems are part of broader trade ties. From olive oil to shipping, India-Greece partnership has potential. UPI is just the beginning! 📈
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