The realms of Africa, various parts of Europe, and South America present fertile grounds for embracing India's comprehensive digital infrastructure and service framework, popularly referred to as the India stack.
Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and founding chairman of UIDAI (Aadhaar), envisions India's digital public framework extending to 50 nations within the next five years. Participating in the B20 Summit India 2023, Nilekani highlighted how India's successful strategies could assist other countries in establishing robust digital platforms. He stated, "This expansion underscores India's leadership in digital advancements and technology-driven public solutions."
India's digital journey commenced with the launch of Aadhaar ID numbers, followed by the introduction of e-Know Your Customer (eKYC) for seamless paperless identity verification. The e-Sign feature enables users to affix legally recognized electronic signatures to documents. The UPI system facilitates cashless transactions, while DigiLocker serves as a platform for issuing and verifying documents and certificates. The latest addition is the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
In a Business Today column, K. V Kamath, Chairman of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID), highlighted regions where Indian enterprises could contribute to inclusivity. He noted that Indian businesses, having mastered the art of inclusion, hold significant potential to expand to regions including Africa, substantial parts of Europe, and South America. Kamath emphasized that exporting India's inclusive model could play a pivotal role in transforming underserved populations' lives globally, creating economic opportunities, fostering sustainable development, and bridging the digital divide.
In fact, the Global South emerges as a prime destination for India's digital stack, encompassing countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator of G-20, provided a nuanced perspective in an interview with BT. He stated, "As a normative body, the G20 plays a crucial role in proposing policies, frameworks, and principles. Our focus is on establishing principles for governing digital public infrastructure (DPI) use and constructing a framework that encourages cooperation among nations." Shringla added, "The G20's role extends to assisting countries in this endeavor, creating a template for enhanced cooperation and support to developing nations in establishing DPIs."
Notably, UPI is already leading in global adoption. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is engaged in discussions with numerous countries about UPI adoption, spanning governmental agreements, collaborations with payment players, and partnerships with private entities in the payments sector.
In recent years, several countries have embraced India's UPI payment system, with Bhutan pioneering UPI adoption in 2021. Other adopters include Oman, the UAE, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the UK, with France being the latest to join this list.
