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Sweden, a counntry in the EU, did this in 2012.

Then they introduced a (small) fee.

Apparently Norway's Vipps is free for small amounts, but charges 1% for large.

Too tempting for the EU not to play, but that will replace a duopoly with a monopoly, which will end up doing what monopolies have always done. "For the greater good" here is to incentivize competition.

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For travelers, this Balkanization of payment mechanisms is quite a hassle. You can't have Swish (the Swedish payment system) without a Swedish bank account. You can't have Yappy (the payment system used in Panama) without a Panamanian phone number. So as a foreigner you simply can't pay. Especially in Sweden where cash isn't a thing.

I think the parent comment is referring to RuPay à la visa/mastercard not Vipps which I say is equivalent of UPI. Although UPI is open unlike Vipps.

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