New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday called on BRICS member and partner countries to link their payment systems, encourage trade in local currencies and make digital trade more accessible globally.

Speaking at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi, Goyal said India's digital payment infrastructure, including the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), could serve as a foundation for deeper cross-border cooperation among BRICS economies.

UPI has crossed 250 billion transactions a year and accounts for more than half of transactions by volume globally, Goyal said. He added that UPI is currently accepted in 11 countries.

"I would urge the BRICS member countries and partner countries to link our payment sy...