24 Nations Adopt India Stack, UPI and DigiLocker

India's Digital Public Infrastructure is gaining global recognition, with 24 countries adopting or partnering on India Stack platforms such as UPI and DigiLocker, strengthening digital governance, financial inclusion, and Global South cooperation.

The DPI in India is fast becoming an internationally recognized model of digital governance, with 24 countries entering into agreements for adopting or working with India Stack solutions such as UPI, DigiLocker, digital identification solutions inspired by Aadhaar, e-Sanjeevani, e-Office, and e-Hospital. The rising international adoption signifies the increasing efforts by India in digital diplomacy and establishes India as a major player in providing scalable, inclusive, and citizen-centric digital public infrastructure. There are plans to roll out DigiLocker services in Kenya and Cuba, with talks being held with other nations too.

The initiative is being led by the MeitY and MEA, as the two ministries are advocating for India's digital governance system that is based on the principle of openness through bilateral treaties and technology cooperation. Nations across Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East are looking at the tried and tested solutions offered by India in the form of digital technologies for improving delivery of public services, financial inclusion, health care, education, and digital governance.

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One major tool that India has used to spread its digital footprint globally is the UPI system, which extends beyond the national borders and facilitates digital cross-border payments. The UPI system is currently available across various nations via partnerships, serving the interests of travelers, businesses, and Indians abroad while facilitating the creation of real-time payment systems in partner nations. Apart from UPI, DigiLocker is emerging as an important tool internationally for safe storage of digital documents via the cloud, which has seen some implementation in Kenya and Cuba.

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure does not just include payments and documentation systems. Nations have also been assessing digital platforms like e-Sanjeevani for telemedicine, e-Hospital for hospital administration, e-Office for government administration, DIKSHA for education, and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for public procurement. Such platforms help nations transform their public services digitally to enhance efficiency, transparency, and cost-saving.

India Stack’s global popularity is attributed to the success of the Digital India initiative, which has revolutionized governance using secure digital identification, instant payment, digital documentation, and citizen-centric services. As per official figures, the digital economy in India is growing at a fast pace, with UPI contributing to 45 percent of all real-time digital payment transactions worldwide. India’s track record in developing digital infrastructure on a large scale at low costs has made it a preferred partner for countries that want to digitally transform their economies without investing in costly proprietary infrastructure.

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It is believed that the adoption of India's digital platforms internationally is one of the crucial aspects of the nation's foreign policy. Through the sharing of the Digital Public Infrastructure of India, it is hoped that India will enhance technological partnerships, achieve inclusive growth, and help partner nations develop robust digital ecosystems. The move will improve India's standing as a global player in the field of digital innovation and also open up prospects of cooperation in fintech, governance, healthcare, education, and other sectors of public life.

The adoption of India Stack by various nations means that the Indian model of digital governance is moving towards becoming a global public good. The growth of services like UPI, DigiLocker, and others is likely to increase global connectivity and cooperation as well as help India influence the direction of technology-driven governance and digital inclusion.