Revolut Starts India Beta As It Targets Digital Payments Growth

Strategic Expansion Into A High-Growth Market

Revolut has begun a limited beta rollout in India, marking the latest step in the British fintech company’s expansion into one of the world’s largest digital payments markets. Over recent weeks, users on the company’s waitlist have started receiving access to the India-focused app as Revolut prepares for a broader launch.

Localized Offerings And Enhanced Customer Experience

The beta version, available on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store, has already attracted several thousand users. Features tailored to the local market include UPI payments, e-money wallets, domestic prepaid cards, multi-currency cards, virtual cards and disposable cards. Revolut said the phased rollout will allow it to gather user feedback and test core services before expanding access.

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Navigating India’s Digital Payment Ecosystem

India represents one of the world’s most competitive fintech markets, driven largely by the government-backed Unified Payments Interface (UPI). According to official data, UPI processed 23.2 billion transactions worth approximately ₹29.9 trillion ($313.8 billion) in May alone. Processing volumes of this scale present a significant growth opportunity for international fintech firms, while also placing them in direct competition with local banks and established payment providers.

Building A Robust Local Presence

Revolut’s efforts to enter India date back to 2021. To strengthen its local presence, Revolut appointed fintech executive Paroma Chatterjee to lead operations in India and acquired Arvog Forex in 2022. It later secured a prepaid payment instrument licence from the Reserve Bank of India, allowing it to expand services including remittances and multi-currency accounts.

Looking Ahead

Access to the beta programme is currently limited to a small portion of the approximately 450,000 users on Revolut’s waitlist in India. Revolut plans to gradually expand onboarding in the coming months. Interest in the platform has continued to grow, with nearly 820,000 app downloads recorded in India since launch. India forms part of Revolut’s broader expansion strategy across high-growth markets. The company has previously identified countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Brazil as key drivers of future user growth and transaction volumes as it works toward its targets of reaching 20 million users and processing at least $7 billion in transactions by 2030.

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Cyprus Expects More French Visitors In 2027 As Air Capacity Expands

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 18, 2026

Cyprus expects more French visitors in 2027 as airlines increase capacity between the two countries, Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said after meetings with tour operators in Paris.

France, one of Cyprus’ key tourism markets, has had a difficult 2026. French arrivals fell 46% year over year to 8,453 in August, from 15,663 a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat). August arrivals were also nearly 50% below the 16,798 recorded in the same month of 2024.

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Overall, Cyprus received 2.82 million tourist arrivals between January and August, down 7% from the same period in 2025.

Air Connectivity Supports 2027 Outlook

Koumis discussed the 2027 outlook with senior executives from tour operators offering Cyprus holidays during the IFTM Top Resa travel trade fair in Paris.

Higher air capacity between France and Cyprus was a key focus of the talks. Participants also discussed the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on the French market and Cyprus’ efforts to adapt its tourism offering to French travelers.

“The French market is undoubtedly an extremely important market for our country’s tourism,” Koumis said, adding that France had regained importance only a few years ago and still had room to grow.

Improved air connectivity will be an important factor in that expansion, according to Koumis. “It is now clear that air connectivity between France and Cyprus is improving significantly, which is a basic prerequisite for the further growth of the market,” he said.

Cyprus Promotes Tourism And Regional Cooperation

Koumis attended the opening of IFTM Top Resa at the invitation of French Tourism Minister Serge Papin, who later visited the Cyprus stand. Held from Sept. 15 to 17 at Paris Porte de Versailles, the event brought together more than 32,000 tourism professionals representing 177 destinations and 1,650 brands, according to organizers.

During his visit, Koumis also met Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy. Cyprus and Egypt reaffirmed their tourism cooperation and discussed opportunities to strengthen ties further.

French media interviews covered Cyprus’ tourism offering, infrastructure and services, along with efforts to develop specialized tourism products. Regional instability weighed on arrivals in 2026, particularly during the spring, although the decline narrowed over the summer.

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