Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) holding NRE or NRO accounts can now make UPI transactions through their smartphones linked to international mobile numbers. This new option, introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), makes it easy for NRIs to send money to family or pay bills in India without the need for regular bank transfers.

Key Features of NRI UPI Transactions

• No Transaction Fees: NRIs from countries like the US, UK, Canada, UAE, Singapore, and Australia can use UPI for free, even while abroad.
• Supported by Major Banks: Popular banks like HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Canara, and PNB support this service, and NRIs can use apps such as PhonePe, iMobile, and BHIM to make transactions.
• Transaction Limits: There’s a daily limit of ?1 lakh. New users start with a limit of ?5,000 for the first 24 hours. UPI can be used for payments between NRE/NRO and resident Indian accounts, though it doesn’t work for transfers between NRO and NRE accounts. Only the primary holder in joint accounts can access UPI.

How NRIs Can Set Up UPI

NRIs need to link their international mobile number to their NRE or NRO bank account, download a UPI app, verify their number, create a UPI ID, and activate their account. This setup allows them to start making easy, fee-free payments in India.

Representational Image | Source: freemalaysiatoday

Meta has been fined 21.62 billion won (about $15.67 million) by South Korea’s privacy agency for collecting sensitive information from Facebook users and giving it to advertisers without permission. The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) found that Meta gathered details on the religious beliefs, political views, and sexual orientation of around 980,000 South Korean Facebook users and shared this data with 4,000 advertisers.

The PIPC explained that Meta tracked users’ activity on Facebook, including the pages they liked and the ads they clicked, to organize users by topics related to these private areas. Some categories created for users included religion, sexual identity, or status as a former North Korean citizen.

According to the commission, Meta used this personal information without approval, which breaks privacy laws. They also pointed out that Meta failed to protect inactive accounts. Hackers managed to reset passwords on these accounts using fake IDs, and Meta accepted these fake documents without proper checks. This led to personal data leaks for 10 South Korean users.

The PIPC added that they will keep an eye on Meta’s actions to ensure it follows privacy rules, protecting people’s information. Meta responded by saying it will “carefully review” the commission’s decision.

Image: Meta

Meta has recently announced its global expansion of the Instagram broadcast channels feature. Originally introduced in February, this feature enabled creators to directly send photos and videos to their followers. However, it is now being made accessible to all users worldwide.

With the broadcast channels, creators can utilize a public one-to-many messaging tool, inviting all their followers to engage with text, images, and video updates. In addition, they can share voice notes and conduct polls to gather feedback from their fans. It’s important to note that only creators have the ability to send content through these channels, while followers are limited to reacting to the content and participating in polls.