German minister 'fascinated' by India's UPI system after buying veggies from street vendor - WATCH

Germany's Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing, experiences and praises India's UPI payment system during his visit to Bengaluru to attend the G20 Digital Ministers Meeting on August 19.

Germany's Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing, had the opportunity to personally experience the ease of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments during his visit to India. His encounter left him "fascinated" with the process. The German Embassy in India took to social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), to commend India's digital infrastructure, considering it one of the nation's success stories.

The German embassy in India shared videos and images of Minister Wissing purchasing groceries and utilizing UPI for payment. "One of India's success story is digital infrastructure. UPI enables everybody to make transactions in seconds. Millions of Indians use it. Federal Minister for Digital and Transport @Wissing was able to experience the simplicity of UPI payments first hand and is very fascinated!" read the post's caption.

Minister Wissing's visit to Bengaluru was for his participation in the G20 Digital Ministers Meeting held on August 19.

Social media users responded to the post by thanking Minister Wissing for becoming a part of India's digital economic transformation. One user expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you for being part of India's digital economic revolution. Keep sharing and using."

Another user pointed out the potential benefits for Germany, stating, "It will be a blessing for German merchants and shopgoers in Germany, which are struggling with cash-only transactions."

There was also curiosity about the global expansion of UPI, with one user asking, "UPI goes Global! When is Germany joining the UPI platform?"

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is India's rapid payment system, enabling customers to make instant, round-the-clock payments. It operates through a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer. India has partnered with several countries, including Sri Lanka, France, the UAE, and Singapore, on emerging fintech and payment solutions. In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India and France had agreed to adopt the UPI payment mechanism.