NPCI plans to link UPI with Zelle for easier US-to-India transfers

India's digital payments push has reached the United States. A major move by NPCI could soon let Indians and NRIs living in the US send dollars directly to India through UPI.

A pilot project is underway to link Bank of America's payment system Zelle with India's UPI. The project aims to make sending money from the US to India simpler and faster. Indians working in the US stand to benefit the most, as they will be able to transfer dollars directly into accounts.

The project is currently at the pilot stage. The facility is expected to become available to the public by the end of 2026. If the system works, sending money from the US to India will become even easier.

The US has become the largest source of remittances to India from abroad. According to data, India received about 135.46 billion dollars in remittances in the 2024-25 financial year, of which about 37 billion dollars came from the US alone. This is why the initiative to link UPI and Zelle is being seen as significant for economic transactions between the two countries, with benefits for both.

The Zelle-UPI bridge is being developed with the cooperation of Early Warning Services, the network operator of Zelle. Zelle is a digital payment network used in the US, while UPI is regarded as India's leading real-time digital payment system. The bridge's main purpose is to connect the two payment networks to make international payments easier. However, this does not mean Indian UPI apps will now work in the US exactly as they do in India.