Major UPI update: Indian expats in UAE can now send more money, gold, EMIs

Dubai: If you’re an Indian expat in the UAE, your UPI app just became more supercharged. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has just raised daily transaction limits for high-value payments, effective September 15, 2025. This is a game-changer for investments, insurance premiums, EMIs, travel, and more.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What’s changed

• Capital markets, Insurance: Per transaction limit jumps to Rs5 lakh (from Rs2 lakh), daily limit now Rs10 lakh.

• Government e-Marketplace, Travel bookings, Loan repayments, EMIs: Same Rs10 lakh daily ceiling.

• Credit card bills: Single payment can now hit Rs500,000, daily cap rises to Rs6 lakh.

• Jewellery purchases: Rs200,000 per transaction, daily ceiling now Rs6 lakh.

• Hospital, Education payments: Daily cap remains Rs1 million, per transaction Rs5 lakh.

• Government securities, RBI direct investments: Rs1 million daily limit.

Record-breaking use

UPI isn’t just growing—it’s exploding. In August 2025, it recorded:

• 20 billion transactions (up 34% YoY).

• Rs24.85 trillion in transaction value (up 21% YoY).

• Daily averages: 645 million transactions worth Rs801.77 billion.

For UAE-based Indians managing multiple investments or sending money home, this means faster, safer high-value payments—without relying on cheques or slower banking channels.

Fraud controls tighter

With higher limits comes higher responsibility. NPCI is ending the P2P “collect request” feature from October 1, 2025, designed to prevent scams targeting unsuspecting users with fake reward or cashback requests.

How this affects you

• You can settle insurance premiums, EMIs, and big travel bookings instantly.

• High-value investment transfers to Indian accounts are now simpler.

• Fraud risks are reduced, as new high limits apply only to verified merchants.

• P2P payments remain capped at Rs100,000 per day—so your personal transfers are still secure.

For expats juggling finances between the UAE and India, these changes make UPI a must-have tool for serious money management, turning it from a casual payment app into a full-fledged financial powerhouse.