Upi

UPI MDR framework needs rationalisation to protect public trust: Report

Proposed merchant discount rate (MDR) framework for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions needs to be rationalised before implementation to protect public trust in the digital payments system, according to a report. UPI, a public digital infrastructure, has generated significant convenience for users and productivity gains for the economy, with its long-term economic benefits outweighing the incremental income that could accrue from merchant transaction fees, the report titled 'UPI at a Crossroads: Reintroducing the MDR' released by IIT Bombay said. It cautioned that public trust in UPI could be undermined if the proposed MDR framework is implemented in its present form, stressing the need to ensure that the digital payments platform does not attract negative sentiment among users. The report suggested that merchants with annual turnover of Rs 50 crore or more are mandated by law to provide UPI as a means for accepting payments. Accordingly, the remuneration for the UPI ...

Festival breather: UPI merchant fee may be deferred till January 1

UPI MDR may be deferred to January 1, while the exemption for small merchants could be expanded to businesses with annual turnover of up to ₹40 lakh

Small fee unlikely to impact UPI transaction volumes: RBI Governor on MDR

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said a small MDR on select UPI payments is unlikely to materially affect transaction volumes as the new charge takes effect from October 15

Mospi proposes adding health, education to services production index

The proposed expansion will increase the Index of Services Production's coverage from about 60 per cent to 78.4 per cent of services gross value added

No preferential access to biz from group cos: Jio Payment Solutions CEO

Jio Payment Solutions is prioritising large enterprises and profitable segments as it seeks to expand in India's crowded digital payments processing market

UPI transaction value may drop 10% after Oct 15 MDR rollout: Survey

LocalCircles estimates UPI transaction volumes could fall 4% and value 10% as consumers shift to cards, cash and bank transfers if merchants pass on the MDR

UPI continues to grow strongly, volumes up 23% at 24.07 bn in September

Clocks highest daily avg volume of over 800 mn transactions

LPG, SBI ATM, UPI: Five rule changes in October explained | Key financial changes | MDR charges

October brings five financial changes that could affect consumers and businesses differently. LPG consumers need biometric Aadhaar authentication to access subsidised refills. Some SBI customers will

UPI usage holds steady in September despite backlash over new MDR norms

UPI processed an average 802 million transactions a day in September, up about 1 per cent from August, while transaction value also remained firm despite the MDR backlash

Two trade bodies meet FM, withdraw from No UPI Day protest on October 2

AICPDF and AIMRA have withdrawn from the October 2 protest after urging the government to defer the proposed UPI MDR and raise the threshold limit to ₹5 lakh

Sitharaman discusses BIT, FTA, UPI expansion with Qatar during Doha visit

Finance minister discusses Qatar's $10 billion investment commitment, proposed BIT and FTA talks, while seeking wider adoption of India's UPI payment system

Only 62 million invest in MFs despite 500-550 million UPI users: EY report

Investable household assets rose to nearly $5.2 trillion in FY25, while individual investors' share of the Indian equity market reached a two-decade high of 18.7%

75% traders may not face UPI levy, says NPCI MD & CEO Dilip Asbe

18% GST on merchant discount rate could be reviewed

Visa's Pismo platform expands footprint in 'priority market' India

The core banking and card processing platform is exploring credit line on UPI and other use cases as India becomes one of its priority markets for FY27

Supreme Court refuses interim stay on UPI MDR, seeks Centre's response

Justice Bagchi asked whether the charge was a tax or fee and, if it was neither, what was the legal basis for imposing it. He also questioned the nature of the service for which the payment was being

SC asks Centre to explain UPI charges above ₹2,000, refuses to stay levy

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to explain the basis for UPI charges above ₹2,000, but refused to stay the new framework set to take effect from October 15

Mobile phone retailers to protest against UPI MDR charges on Oct 2

Mobile phone retailers across India plan to observe October 2 as "No UPI Day" in protest against 0.4 per cent merchant discount rate charges on UPI transactions, a senior official of industry body AIMRA said. The government has introduced a 0.4 per cent fee on UPI transfers exceeding Rs 2,000 to merchants from October 15, while exempting person-to-person transactions as well as small payments from any charges. "The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) has called for a 'NO UPI DAY' on October 2, 2026, to highlight the concerns of mobile retailers regarding the 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) applicable to eligible merchant UPI transactions," AIMRA Vice President and President for Delhi NCR region, Tarvinder Singh, said in a statement. He said retailers will symbolically cover UPI QR Codes with black cloth and refrain from accepting UPI payments on Gandhi Jayanti. According to a representation sent to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by AIMRA, the move to impos

SC to hear plea against MDR on UPI merchant payments above ₹2,000 on Monday

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a plea challenging the Centre's decision to impose a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on specified UPI person-to-merchant transactions of over Rs 2,000. Ending nearly six years of fully free UPI payments, the government has introduced a 0.4 per cent fee on transfers worth over Rs 2,000 made to merchants through the UPI platform from October 15 while explicitly ring-fencing everyday person-to-person transactions and small payments from any charge. The MDR will be capped at Rs 300 for payments of Rs 75,000 and above. Essential and thin-margin sectors -- railways, telecom, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs -- will pay a flat MDR of Rs 5 per transaction above Rs 2,000. Payments into mutual funds, securities and through stockbrokers and dealers will attract 0.02 per cent MDR, also capped at Rs 300. Person-to-person (P2P) transfers -- which make up 37 per cent of UPI's transaction volume and 70 per cent of its transaction value -- will continue to

75% traders may avoid UPI levy; ‘No UPI Day’ on Oct 2; banks to stay open on Sunday & more

According to NPCI MD and CEO Dilip Asbe, around three-fourths of India’s more than 60 million digital payment-accepting merchants have never recorded a transaction above ₹2,000 and are insulated from

UPI MDR decision purely professional, no external pressure: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has rejected as "absolutely baseless" allegations by the Opposition that the decision to levy a 0.4 per cent Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on specified UPI transactions above Rs 2,000 was taken under external pressure, saying it was a professional decision by the payment ecosystem. Talking to PTI, Sitharaman said the decision was completely professional, and it was taken jointly by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), payment banks and merchant banks, and not imposed by the government. She rubbished the Opposition's allegations that the government had yielded to foreign pressure, saying the MDR was not a tax and would not accrue to the government. "Absolutely baseless. And I totally deny it," she said when asked about Opposition allegations that the decision on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) MDR was taken under external pressure, particularly from the US. The Finance Minister said the Opposition was "searching for issues" and makin