Digital Payments

Rural-centric feature phone solutions set to anchor digital payments push

Govt sources say rural-focused feature phone solutions such as UPI 123Pay, IVR systems and offline payments will drive the next phase of India's digital payments expansion beyond smartphones

Security upgrade: SMS-less UPI signup may be launched by next year

NPCI is working on an SMS-less, silent device-binding process for UPI to improve security and onboarding, with rollout expected over the next 12-18 months

Datanomics: OTP scams topped cyber fraud as Telangana became a hotspot

The new norms are slated to kick in from April 1

Targeted interventions needed to bolster Rupay debit card: Report

A DFS report shows UPI has overtaken cash as the most preferred payment mode and recommends focused merchant enablement and stronger support for RuPay debit card usage in rural and semi-urban India

Cash in circulation at record high despite rise in UPI use: SBI report

India's currency in circulation reached a record ₹40 trillion in January even as the cash-to-GDP ratio fell to 11%, signalling incremental GDP growth increasingly financed through digital payments

Cards in play: Sandeep Ghosh on the opportunity in cash conversion

Despite UPI's dominance, the digital payments game is far from over, Ghosh tells Manojit Saha, pointing to the opportunity that lies in cash conversion

NPCI Int'l inks pact with PayNet Malaysia to enable UPI, DuitNow acceptance

NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), the international arm of NPCI, has signed an agreement with Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet), Malaysia's national payments network, to enable QR-based merchant payments between India and Malaysia. The rollout of this initiative will happen in a phase-wise manner, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said in a statement. In the first phase, Indian travellers visiting Malaysia will be able to use their UPI apps to make seamless cross-border merchant payments at DuitNow QR acceptance touchpoints, it said. "DuitNow QR is Malaysia's national QR standard, operated by PayNet. In the subsequent phase, Malaysians visiting India will be able to scan UPI QR codes to make merchant payments using their DuitNow apps," it said. With this integration, Indian tourists will gain access to millions of DuitNow QR merchant touchpoints in Malaysia, across restaurants, retail stores, tourist attractions, and other establishments, it said. Simila

IPO-bound PhonePe eyes growth in payments, businesses, consumer platforms

Walmart-backed PhonePe, which aims to float its initial public offering (IPO) in April, plans to deepen its presence in India's digital payments market while expanding into financial services and new consumer platforms. In its draft papers, the company said digital payments will remain the core driver of growth, supported by investments to expand its user base, addressable market and platform scale. India's total addressable market for digital consumer payments stood at Rs 301 lakh crore in fiscal 2025 and is projected to grow to Rs 602-681 lakh crore by fiscal 2030, the company said, citing industry estimates. According to sources, PhonePe is aiming to launch its IPO in April. The proposed offering will be entirely an offer for sale of 5.06 crore shares by Walmart, Microsoft and Tiger Global, with no fresh issue component. In January, the company received regulatory approval from the Sebi to proceed with its maiden public offering, following its confidential filing in September.

Digital payments safety:  Reserve Bank of India proposes discussion paper

Decision on UPI MDR in govt's domain: RBI governor

Slow UPI growth: Industry frets as monetisation remains elusive

A moderation in UPI growth is worrying industry players, who warn that low incentives and lack of monetisation could slow expansion of India's digital payments ecosystem

UPI transactions marginally up to 21.7 billion, value at ₹28.3 trillion

UPI transactions rose marginally in January, with volumes at 21.7 billion and value touching ₹28.3 trillion, underscoring steady momentum in India's digital payments ecosystem despite month-on-month m

UPI transactions hit record high of ₹28.33 trillion in January: NPCI

Transactions through the popular Unified Payments Interface (UPI) touched a record Rs 28.33 lakh crore and 21.70 billion in value and volume terms, respectively, in January, according to data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). NPCI said the value of transactions was at Rs 27.97 lakh crore in December. On a month-on-month basis, the growth was 21 per cent in value terms. The average daily transaction in January was 700 million with an average value of Rs 91,4033 crore. Worldline CEO Ramesh Narasimhan said, "UPI's growth momentum continues to strengthen. In January 2026 alone, Indians made 21.7 billion UPI transactions worth Rs 28.33 lakh crore -- an increase over December and a solid 28 per cent growth year-on-year.

Fintech's long march from disruption to discipline in its next chapter

A decade of rapid growth gives way to partnerships, governance, and the contours of Fintech 2.0. Raghu Mohan weighs in

Post UPI, Indian payment players look to foreign shores for growth

With thin margins in the UPI era, Indian fintechs are looking overseas, betting on cross-border payments, CBDCs, and new digital rails for sustainable growth

Eco Survey: UPI sustainability reliant on incentives, constant investment

The survey added that complementary investments in digital capabilities and institutional capacities should be a priority to expand gains from digital payments

A fresh transaction: Visa readies India swipe of debit-cum-credit card

Visa plans to bring its dual debit-credit card to India, letting users switch funding sources via a single 16-digit credential, after strong success in Japan

PIDF scheme impact to be offset by revenue growth, targeted sales: Paytm

Paytm on Friday issued a clarification to stock exchanges to address recent market speculation, stating that any potential impact from the conclusion of the RBI's Payment Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) scheme is expected to be significantly offset over time through higher revenues and more targeted sales efforts. In a filing with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE, One 97 Communications Ltd said it has revenues recognised as incentives from the programme, linked to qualifying expenditure incurred towards the deployment of payment acceptance devices such as Soundboxes and EDC machines. Addressing the scenario directly where the scheme is not extended, the company said it expects to "meaningfully offset the impact over time through a combination of stronger revenue growth and more focused, targeted sales execution". The PIDF incentive was aimed at accelerating digital payments infrastructure across Tier-3 to Tier-6 centres, as well as underserved regions including the .

Statsguru: From cash to clicks, mapping India's UPI-led payments shift

From demonetisation to the UPI boom, India's payments landscape has shifted decisively from cash to clicks, with digital modes now dominating both volume and value

Aim to expand UPI's footprint with East Asia push: DFS secy M Nagaraju

Nagaraju further said UPI transactions crossed more than 21 billion in December 2025, underlining the rapid adoption of digital payments in the country

Govt working to expand UPI to more overseas markets: DFS secretary

India is trying to expand the global reach of its homegrown digital payment system UPI to a larger number of countries, especially in East Asia, Financial Services Secretary M Nagaraju said on Tuesday. Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is currently accepted in eight countries -- Bhutan, Singapore, Qatar, Mauritius, Nepal, the UAE, Sri Lanka and France. The acceptability of India's digital payment network overseas enables Indian tourists to make UPI payments for transactions abroad. Speaking at the Global Inclusive Finance India Summit here, Nagaraju said India is about 50 per cent in terms of digital transactions thanks to UPI. "Now we have expanded to some countries. We are trying to expand. To a large number of countries, especially we are focussing in East Asia now," he said. The secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS) said UPI transactions crossed more than 21 billion in December 2025, and the success of UPI and digital transactions could also be attributed to ...