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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the fintech ecosystem to expand the global reach of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), connect it with local systems in other countries, and help the diaspora save on remittance costs. In his address after the inauguration of the 7th edition of the Global Fintech Fest here, Modi said the UPI platform is now live in 11 countries and has also connected with Singapore's local system. Urging the ecosystem not to rest on the laurels of the last decade when UPI became a ubiquitous platform for real-time payments across the country, the Prime Minister said the next aim should be to expand UPI's reach. He said the focus should be on countries that are home to a large diaspora, have high trade volumes with India, or are willing to partner with us while connecting the systems. "This is essential because Indians work in large numbers in foreign countries. They are the largest remitters of money. A part of the remittances goes away as transactio
On completion of a decade of the Unified Payments Interface, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed it as a major turning point in India's digital payment journey and said its sheer scale is something every Indian must be proud of. The UPI was launched on August 25, 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The UPI has emerged as the backbone of India's digital payments ecosystem and a critical driver of financial inclusion. "A decade ago, UPI was rolled out, marking a major turning point in India's digital payments journey. The sheer scale and reach of UPI are something every Indian must be proud of," Modi said in a post on X. The prime minister also asked people to share with him their UPI experience and how it impacted the life. Over a decade of operations, the UPI has demonstrated extraordinary scale and momentum in the country. Annual transaction volume expanded from just 1.78 crore in .
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which was launched on August 25, 2016, has completed a decade of transforming India's digital payments landscape, emerging as the backbone of the country's digital payments ecosystem and a global benchmark for real-time payments. Annual UPI transaction volume rose from 1.78 crore in 2016-17 to more than 24,162 crore in 2025-26, an almost 13,000-fold increase, the finance ministry said in a statement. During the same period, transaction value jumped from Rs 0.07 lakh crore to around Rs 314 lakh crore, representing a more than 4,000-fold rise, it said. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), UPI has recorded an unprecedented expansion in both transaction volume and value over the past 10 years, it said. The year 2026 marked a significant milestone in the growth trajectory of UPI, it said, adding that monthly transaction volumes crossed 2,300 crore for the fi