French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday praised India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), describing it as a landmark achievement in digital innovation and said India has built something no other country has managed to accomplish a digital identity system that serves 1.4 billion people.
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, Macron underlined how technology has reshaped daily life for ordinary citizens across the country. He pointed to the way digital public infrastructure has expanded financial access and simplified transactions, especially for those who were once excluded from the formal banking system.
Beginning his address with a personal anecdote, he said, “Ten years ago, a street vendor in Mumbai could not open a bank account, no address, no papers, no access. Today, the same vendor accepts payments on his phone instantly and for free from anyone in the country. One Modi decade is all it took.”
“India built something no other country has built a digital identity for 1.4 billion people,” the French President said, drawing applause from the audience.
The French President expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting him to India, and said it was “great to be back here” for the AI Summit, which he described as a platform shaping the global future of artificial intelligence.
Notably, this is not the first time that Macron has praised Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Previously, in 2024, during his state visit to India, Macron was impressed by UPI when PM Modi paid a bill using his phone at a local shop in Jaipur.
The two leaders shared tea in traditional kulhads (earthen cups) outside a shop near the Hawa Mahal. As PM Modi completed the transaction on his phone and the shopkeeper received instant confirmation, Macron appeared pleasantly surprised.
The Prime Minister then explained how UPI works, highlighting its speed, simplicity, and wide use in daily transactions.
UPI allows users to link multiple bank accounts to a single mobile app, making it easy to transfer money instantly, pay merchants, and send or request money from others.
In July 2023, PM Modi announced that Indian travellers would soon be able to use UPI in France. This plan became a reality in February 2024, when France became the first European country to adopt India’s digital payments system.
The launch followed a partnership between NPCI International Payments Limited and Lyra Network, which enabled UPI acceptance at merchant locations across France.
This step marked UPI’s entry into Europe’s payments system, allowing Indian tourists and students in France to make smooth digital payments using their existing UPI apps.
Macron’s repeated praise of UPI highlights the growing global recognition of India’s digital public infrastructure as a model for inclusive innovation.
Technology as the New Engine of Antyodaya
For decades, India’s moral and political vision has been guided by the principle of Antyodaya, the commitment to uplift the person at the very end of the social and economic spectrum. Mahatma Gandhi urged decision-makers to recall the face of the poorest and weakest before taking any step. Later, Deendayal Upadhyaya articulated Antyodaya as a foundational principle of governance.
The message has remained clear and consistent: development must reach the last person in the queue and empower that individual to become the foremost beneficiary of progress. In the 21st century, technology has emerged as a transformative instrument for realizing this vision.
When a street vendor in a small town displays a QR code and accepts payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), it represents far more than a simple transaction. It signifies inclusion in the formal financial system without the barriers of paperwork, collateral, or intermediaries. It ensures transparency without procedural complexity.
Most importantly, it restores dignity, delivered seamlessly through a smartphone. This is Antyodaya translated into action through digital empowerment.
Initiatives under the Digital India framework including universal digital identity, mobile connectivity, and real‑time, low‑cost digital payments through Unified Payments Interface have significantly lowered barriers to formal financial participation, even for small merchants and rural citizens.
UPI now handles a vast proportion of India’s digital payments, bringing affordable, secure transactions to millions and helping formalize economic activity previously reliant on cash.
By making services more accessible, transparent, and inclusive whether through digital authentication, direct benefit transfers, or mobile‑first payments technology is expanding opportunities and dignity for people at the bottom of the socio‑economic ladder.
This blend of innovation and inclusion has enabled India to translate the vision of Antyodaya into practical outcomes on a massive scale.
