Parliament was informed that UPI has onboarded 55.49 crore users by June 2026, with transactions reaching 24,162 crore in volume and Rs 314 lakh crore in value in FY 2025-26. The platform, operated by NPCI, is expanding internationally through NIPL, facilitating cross-border payments and assisting other nations in building similar systems. Significant efforts are also underway by the Government, RBI, and NPCI to enhance the security and transparency of UPI transactions, including risk-based limits, security frameworks, and public awareness campaigns against cyber-crime.
India and Nepal have launched a peer-to-peer (P2P) cross-border remittance mechanism, linking India's UPI with Nepal's NPI. This system allows real-time money transfers via mobile banking, enhancing convenience for travellers and businesses, fostering financial inclusion, and strengthening economic ties between the two nations.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions moderated slightly in June from a record high in May, reaching Rs 28.9 lakh crore. Despite a month-on-month decrease in volume, the daily average transactions hit a new high, indicating UPI's strong adoption for low-value payments. The platform also demonstrated significant annual growth and expanding international presence.
Zelle, a major US peer-to-peer payment service, is set to launch in India by the end of this year, marking its first international expansion. The move aims to tap into India's large remittance market, offering a service similar to UPI but integrated with bank apps. Zelle also introduced ZelleUSD, a stablecoin for future global payment capabilities.
UPI transactions in India reached record highs in May, driven by summer travel and the IPL, with transaction value hitting Rs 29.90 lakh crore and volume reaching 23.2 billion.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has reached a record Rs 314 lakh crore in transaction value in FY26, representing more than a 4,000-fold increase since inception.
UPI transactions reached 22.35 billion in April, marking a 25 per cent increase compared to April 2025. UPI now accounts for 85 per cent of all digital transactions in India and is live in eight countries.
Cash payments will be discontinued at toll plazas on national highways from April 10, with FASTag as the primary mode of payment and UPI as a fallback option at a higher charge.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in India reached a record high in March, with 22.64 billion transactions, marking a significant increase from the previous year and highlighting the growing adoption of digital payments.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in India reached a record high in March, driven by increased adoption and global expansion. The system now accounts for 85% of digital transactions in India and is live in eight countries.
An innovation roadmap, a mechanism to double annual bilateral trade within next five years, and a joint artificial intelligence framework were among 13 outcomes to emerge from wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transaction value and volume saw a slight month-on-month dip in April after record highs in March, but daily transaction volumes increased, indicating sustained growth in digital payments across India.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions reached a record high in March, driven by festivities and the financial year closure, according to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Credit card adoption is rapidly expanding beyond India's major metropolitan areas into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, driven by increasing incomes, digital awareness, and the integration of RuPay credit cards with UPI, according to a new report by SBI Card.
Eying benefits from digital banking, lenders are now looking at building Unified Recovery Interface (URI) for enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and getting good prices for properties of defaulters. This would be managed by PSB Alliance Ltd, a company set up by all public sector banks in the country. M V Rao, chairman, Indian Banks' Association (IBA), said: "Till now we had Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a product developed by National Payments Corporation Ltd (NPCI).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed several measures to develop a more conducive framework for the long-term growth of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including enhanced transaction security and clearer rules on refunds and grievance redressal.
In its June 2025 review, the International Monetary Fund spotlighted India's Unified Payments Interface as the world's most dominant retail instant-payment network, moving more transactions than any other system on the globe.
Moving beyond digital payments, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the operator of Unified Payments Interface, is planning to add more muscle to the country's digital infrastructure by setting up a fourth subsidiary, NPCI Tech Solutions Ltd (NTSL).
'Dark patterns exploit human psychology, cognitive biases, urgency, confusion, or lack of attention to increase revenue for digital platforms at the expense of consumer choice and transparency.'
Users experienced difficulties with UPI payments due to technical issues in some banks' systems. NPCI stated that its systems are operational and it is working with banks to resolve the problems.
Authorised push payment frauds have emerged as a growing challenge globally as scammers increasingly rely on social engineering techniques to persuade users to transfer money voluntarily, making recovery more difficult even when transactions are authenticated.
The amount involved in banking system frauds surged to Rs 21,515 crore in the first half of FY26, up 30 per cent from the same period last year, even as the number of frauds fell 2.8 times to 5,092.
It will enable real-time intel sharing among banks and other financial sector participants to strengthen customer protection against digital fraud.
ICICI Bank is seeking recoveries of at least 100 crore from fintech firms, alleging merchant misclassification of their business, a practice that has eroded the bank's interchange income. The dispute, lodged with global card network Visa, highlights growing discomfort among banks and intensified scrutiny from the Reserve Bank of India.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is set to credit the 8.25 per cent interest on provident funds for FY26 to 34 crore member accounts by July 15, enabled by its new centralised IT system (CITES). This upgrade promises enhanced operational efficiency, transparent services, and easier access to PF details and claims for members.
State Bank of India Chairman C S Setty has expressed support for a 'pause' in policy rates by the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy committee, believing it will help stabilise conditions and support economic growth. He also urged investors to look beyond short-term equity market movements and focus on India's structural transformation, driven by reforms and digital infrastructure.
'We can integrate AI and tech into education, but that is just a means and not an end.' 'Ultimately, we need to control what happens in a classroom and we need to let teachers innovate their teaching style to suit the needs of Gen Z and beyond.'
NPCI BHIM Services Ltd is expanding the BHIM app to feature phones to increase financial inclusion and diversify revenue through financial product distribution. The app aims to double its market share and is focusing on partnerships with banks and new features like UPI Circle.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is set to introduce UPI-linked withdrawals by the end of May, as it finalises testing for its Centralised IT Enabled System (CITES) 2.0 overhaul, aiming to streamline PF balance transfers and withdrawals.
About 85 per cent of the digital payment transactions take place through UPI in India, and the country can be a case study in inclusive, secure, and scalable Digital Public Platforms (DPPs), Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said. He was speaking at a "High-Level Dialogue on Forging Economic Resilience through Digital Public Platforms" organised by RBI on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto have significantly advanced the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, securing crucial agreements on defence, critical minerals, and maritime security, including BrahMos missile supply and Sabang port development.
A State Bank of India report indicates a sharp increase in precautionary cash holding in India, with the gap between per capita currency in circulation and ATM withdrawals widening significantly, driven by global uncertainties despite record digital payment transactions.
As India's biggest Unified Payments Interface (UPI) app PhonePe prepares to list, the updated draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) shows the impact of regulations on the business, and concentration of payments-linked revenue even as UPI lacks MDR (merchant discount rate).
'...A new challenge has emerged in the form of Mythos.'
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will soon allow subscribers to withdraw their EPF and transfer it directly to their bank accounts through the UPI payment gateway. Testing of the facility has been completed, according to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated that preventing second-round effects of supply shocks, where inflation expectations rise due to prolonged disruptions, is the primary role of monetary policy. He also defended the RBI's foreign exchange market interventions, asserting it did not commit to an 'indefensible peg'.
Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani group, emphasised that energy and intelligence are inseparable national priorities, asserting that India must build its own capabilities in these sectors rather than relying on external sources, especially in the context of global conflicts and shifting supply chains.
'It is a tradeoff between convenience and fraud prevention.'
'This will bring in a lot of net new users to UPI.'
Delhi LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu addressed the Global Confluence 2026, emphasising the importance of maintaining a human element at the heart of digital nation-building. He highlighted India's digital transformation and the role of technology in improving lives, while urging a focus on inclusive development and national security.
