The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) completed 10 years of successful implementation today. UPI was launched on 25 August 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Over the last one decade, UPI has been instrumental in transforming digital payments in India. UPI has emerged as the backbone of India’s digital payments ecosystem and a critical driver of financial inclusion.
“Over a decade of operations, UPI has demonstrated extraordinary scale and momentum. Annual transaction volume expanded from just 1.78 crore transactions in FY 2016-17 to over 24,162 crore transactions in FY 2025-26, representing an almost 13,000‑fold surge in transaction volume. Parallelly, transaction value rose sharply from ₹0.07 lakh crore in FY 2016-17 to approximately ₹314 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, translating into a more than 4,000‑fold increase in transaction value,” said a Ministry of Finance note.
UPI has emerged as one of the most successful pillars of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), providing an interoperable, real-time payments platform that enables seamless peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transactions through a single application. Today, it is the preferred mode of payment for millions of users, transforming the way India transacts. By bridging the digital divide, advancing financial inclusion, and expanding access to digital financial services, UPI has empowered individuals and communities across the country while driving broad-based economic participation, added the Ministry of Finance.
UPI is presently Operational in 11 countries, emerging as a global platform for cross-border digital payments.
Bhutan
Cambodia
France
Greece
Mauritius
Maldives
Nepal
Qatar
Singapore
Sri Lanka
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recalled the transformative journey of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which was rolled out a decade ago and marked a major turning point in India’s digital payments journey.
Highlighting the scale and reach achieved by UPI over the past ten years, Modi said that its remarkable journey is something every Indian can be proud of. The Prime Minister invited citizens to share their experiences of using UPI and how it has impacted their daily lives.
The Prime Minister posted on X: 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.
