Search results for how does UPI payment work in India 2026 explained in India 2026 in India
- bbc.com › news › articles › c8xnwqe00v1oEN
UPI: India built a digital payments miracle. Now comes the bill.
[Home](https://www.bbc.com/) News Technology Audio Live # India built the world's biggest digital payments miracle. Now comes the bill For most Indians, paying by Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has become almost absurdly routine. Scan a QR code, tap a few buttons and the money moves instantly. There is no card machine, no cash, and - most importantly - for the user, no visible fee. India has [paved the way](https://thewire.in/banking/lok-sabha-passes-bill-allowing-govt-to-permit-banks-others-to-charge-for-upi-transactions) for banks and payment companies to charge merchants a fee on UPI transactions, potentially ending a decade-long experiment in free digital payments. The government has yet to decide the rate or exactly where it will apply, but proposals under discussion include a merchant discount rate (MDR) of 0.3-0.5% - a small fee paid by a business to the banks and payment companies that process its UPI payments - on larger transactions at big businesses. The government [says](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2296594®=48&lang=2) consumers and person-to-person UPI payments will remain free. If merchant fees are introduced, they will apply only to some transactions above a set threshold, at a nominal rate, meaning most UPI payments will remain free. According to official data, in July alone, there were 23.6 billion UPI transactions worth 29.87 trillion rupees ($313.5bn; £232.2bn). Fintech apps such as PhonePe and Google Pay account for most UPI payments. In the financial year just ended, the figure was about 241.6 billion transactions - almost 12,000 times the volume in UPI's first full year. UPI is not merely big. The system is run by the National Payments Corporation of India, a non-profit entity, with banks and technology companies providing the consumer-facing services. A vegetable seller, taxi driver or small shopkeeper does not need to buy a card terminal to accept UPI. A printed QR code will do. "Our study suggests that merchant acceptance is not just a result of UPI growth, but one of its key drivers," Motheram says. One option reportedly under discussion would target transactions above 2,000 rupees at larger merchants, leaving small businesses and low-value payments untouched. Transactions above that threshold account for only about 4% of merchant-payment volumes but roughly 67% of their value, according to brokerage firm Jefferies. That could generate a sizeable new revenue stream - up to a billion dollars, by one [estimate](https://x.com/refsrc/status/2084486790405345404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2084486790405345404%7Ctwgr%5E76a20d07d91e080db36c073d97839e992897e0cf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medianama.com%2F2026%2F08%2F223-rbi-governor-upi-mdr-premature%2F) - for banks and payment companies while leaving the everyday smaller payment to the neighbourhood grocer effectively unchanged. UPI may feel free, but it is not costless. Even street food vendors accept digitial payments in India Servers have to run, transactions settled, fraud detected and the system protected against cyberattacks. For years, the government has helped compensate banks and payment firms for providing a service that has effectively been treated as public infrastructure. As Sanjay Malhotra, governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country's central bank, recently put it: "Someone will have to pay the cost." But the economics become trickier the further down the merchant chain a fee travels. "Even a small fee could matter if it changes the incentives of small merchants operating on thin margins," he says. A fee imposed on a large retailer is very different from one imposed on a tiny shop or informal trader. The first phase was about creating the network. If charging merchants makes some of them less enthusiastic about accepting UPI - or eventually discourages the smallest ones from joining - the network could begin to lose some of the frictionless quality that made it so successful.
- blog.orbitremit.com › what-is-upi-india-guideEN
What Is UPI? India's Real-Time Payment System Explained
UPI stands for Unified Payments Interface — a real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and ...
- reuters.com › world › india › indias-upi-fee-shake-up-what-changes-why-it-matters-2026-09-16EN
India's UPI fee shake-up: What changes and why it matters
[Skip to main content](https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-upi-fee-shake-up-what-changes-why-it-matters-2026-09-16/#main-content) MUMBAI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Using mobile phones to scan a QR code for payments has become near ubiquitous behaviour in India over the last decade, thanks to a widely used homegrown network, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). But after six years of free use, regardless of size or type of payment, India has decided [to start charging](https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-payments-authority-sets-04-fee-upi-merchant-payments-above-2000-rupees-2026-09-15/) merchants a fee of 0.4% for transactions of more than 2,000 rupees ($21), known as the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), with some exclusions, though person-to-person transfers remain free. ## HOW BIG IS UPI? In August, UPI processed a total of 24.5 billion transactions worth 29,823 billion rupees for more than 550 million users, official data show. UPI has a share of 84% in India's digital payments by volume and a 49% share of global real-time payment volumes, the government said on Tuesday. Walmart's PhonePe and Alphabet's GooglePay had about 80% market share by value of UPI transactions in August. ## WAS UPI ALWAYS FREE? Its pricing model at launch in 2016 included nominal charges temporarily waived in 2017 when India demonetised a large chunk of its high-denomination currency notes. In 2020, all charges were scrapped, kicking off a zero-MDR regime set to end on October 15, 2026. ## WHAT FEE WILL BE IMPOSED? A fee of 40 basis points applies to transactions above 2,000 rupees with merchants, along with carve-outs for payments to small merchants and those operating in rural or semi-urban areas. Widely used categories such as telecom, railways and mutual fund or stock investments will attract lower charges. Fees are capped at 300 rupees on transactions exceeding 75,000 rupees. ## WHY DOES UPI NEED THE MERCHANT DISCOUNT RATE? India's government, the central bank and payments authority say, the MDR will help make UPI self-sustainable, give a fillip to expansion in rural and semi-urban areas, and keep a large majority of payments free of charge. ($1=95.9275 rupees) Advertisement · Scroll to continue Reporting by Jaspreet Kalra; Editing by Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: [The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab](https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/about-us/trust-principles.html) - X - Facebook - Linkedin - Email - Link [Purchase Licensing Rights](https://www.reutersagency.com/en/licensereuterscontent/?utm_medium=rcom-article-media&utm_campaign=rcom-rcp-lead)
- grow.cleverbridge.com › blog › upi-india-saas-digital-goodsEN
UPI in India: How It Works for SaaS and Digital Goods
- [Expanding in India? UPI is the Payment Method You Can’t Ignore](https://grow.cleverbridge.com/blog/upi-india-saas-digital-goods) 4. [Where UPI fits in India's payment mix](https://grow.cleverbridge.com/blog/upi-india-saas-digital-goods#where-upi-fits-in-india's-payment-mix) Why UPI matters for conversion, local checkout performance, and subscriptions. For many digital transactions, that means UPI: India’s real-time, bank-linked payment system, now central to everyday digital commerce. For global digital businesses expanding into India, enabling UPI is about aligning checkout with regional payment behavior. UPI is already deeply embedded in how many consumers handle digital transactions, which makes local payment support an important part of reducing friction and improving checkout performance. ## **What is UPI?** Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is India’s real-time payment system for bank-to-bank transactions. It allows customers to pay directly from a bank-linked app, without entering card details at the point of sale. At checkout, the customer selects UPI and approves the payment in their UPI app, often by scanning a QR code. For recurring payments, UPI AutoPay lets the customer authorize an e-mandate so future charges can be processed within approved limits. Behind the scenes, UPI is supported through a local payment service provider (PSP), allowing transactions to be routed domestically and handled in line with Indian regulatory requirements. That helps keep the payment flow fast and locally aligned, rather than forcing a less natural cross-border path. ## **Why Cleverbridge is introducing UPI** In India, checkout expectations are already well established. ## **The scale of UPI in India** UPI’s impact is best understood through its scale. The system processes over 20 billion transactions per month, with monthly transaction values exceeding ₹28 trillion (approximately $307 billion), according to the latest data from the [National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)](https://www.npci.org.in/what-we-do/upi/product-statistics). UPI accounted for [more than 84%](https://www.business-standard.com/industry/banking/upi-races-ahead-accounts-for-84-of-total-digital-payments-in-fy25-125100300850_1.html) of total digital payment transaction volume in India in 2025, meaning more than four out of five digital payments in the country now flow through UPI. In fact, [UPI accounts for nearly half](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/upi-recognised-as-worlds-largest-real-time-payment-system-by-imf-accounts-for-49-of-global-transactions/articleshow/125838772.cms?from=mdr) of all global real-time payment transactions. These figures add up to show how central UPI has become to digital transacting in India. Thanks to UPI, payments are expected to be real-time, direct, and frictionless — from merchants to peer transfers to the subscription economy. UPI QR codes are now ubiquitous across India’s retail landscape, reinforcing how deeply embedded the system has become in everyday commerce. ## **Where UPI fits in India's payment mix** India’s payment mix is increasingly shaped by mobile, bank-linked behavior. From our Indian buyer data in [_The Friction Report_](https://grow.cleverbridge.com/friction-report), 42% said digital wallets are their preferred way to purchase software, compared to 18% for cards and 8% for bank transfers. This preference points in UPI’s direction, as everyday payments are increasingly mobile, app-led, and real-time. As far as how UPI stacks up against Net Banking, both serve unique purposes. They are less competing options than complementary ones, with UPI capturing more day-to-day consumer payments, while Net Banking supports more high-value transactions. UPI vs Net Banking | | | | | |-|-|-|-| | Payment Method | Best Fit | Checkout Experience | Recurring Payments | | UPI | Everyday digital commerce, mobile-first checkout, B2C SaaS | Real-time approval in UPI app (via QR code) | Supports AutoPay for eligible recurring transactions | | Net Banking | Higher-value purchases, enterprise billing, B2B SaaS | Redirects customers through online banking to complete payment | Commonly used to authenticate eNACH mandates for recurring billing | ## **Bottom line** UPI is central to how digital commerce operates in India. Businesses that support it can reach more customers, reduce checkout friction, and improve payment performance. By adding UPI support, along with Net Banking, Cleverbridge makes it easier for software businesses to operate in India’s rapidly growing market, without needing to navigate local payment complexity on their own. If India is part of your growth strategy, supporting UPI should be part of your payment strategy. [Click here](https://docs.cleverbridge.com/docs/cleveressentials/payments-taxes/payment-options/other-payment-options/upi/).
- facebook.com › Persistclasses › posts › upi-has-become-a-part-of-our-everyday-lifefrom-paying-at-local-shops-to-sending-EN
India's new UPI rules 2026 and transaction limits - Facebook
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a real-time payment system in India that allows seamless, instant transactions between different banks ...
- insightsonindia.com › 2026 › 09 › 01EN
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) - INSIGHTS IAS
UPI is an advanced, real-time interoperable payment system that enables instantaneous inter-bank fund transfers directly through mobile ...
- facebook.com › finservmarkets › videos › upi-charges-in-2026-before-the-rumours-take-over-heres-whats-actually-changing-fEN
UPI charges in 2026? Before the rumours take over, here's ...
This video from Bajaj Markets provides an educational overview of the changes to the UPI payment system in 2026. The speaker explains that UPI ...
- m.economictimes.com › news › india › independence-day-2026-from-hundis-to-upi-india-payments-banking-digital-transactions-journeyEN
Independence Day 2026: The road to UPI — India's payments ...
NPCI described UPI as a common platform for immediate push and pull payments, allowing users to connect multiple bank accounts through a single ...
- caclubindia.com › articles › new-upi-rules-starting-from-15th-october-2026-complete-fee-structure-for-transactions-56345.aspEN
New UPI Rules 2026: Merchant Fees & Consumer Impact
# New UPI Rules Starting From 15th October 2026: Complete Fee Structure for Transactions  Follow [View profile](https://www.caclubindia.com/profile.asp?member_id=4108872) From 15 October 2026, new UPI rules will introduce charges for certain merchant payments in India. While everyday UPI transfers and payments up to ₹2,000 will remain free for consumers, a revised Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework will apply to person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions exceeding ₹2,000. Eligible merchants will bear a 0.4% MDR, capped at ₹300 per transaction, with specific rates for sectors like railways, telecom, and capital markets. Importantly, these charges are borne by the merchant, not the consumer, and person-to-person transfers remain free. ## Introduction #### Looking for a specific UPI rule? Tap below to jump straight to it.” Under the new rules, eligible merchants will bear a 0.4% MDR on such payments, subject to a cap of ₹300 per transaction. Certain sectors, including railways, telecom, insurance, fuel, and agricultural inputs, will attract a flat ₹5 charge, while capital-market transactions will attract a lower 0.02% MDR. Importantly, consumers will not be charged separately for using UPI, and person-to-person transfers will continue to remain free. This article explains the new UPI rules effective from 15 October 2026, who will pay the charges, which transactions are affected, and what the changes mean for both consumers and merchants. ## FAQs ### Go AD-FREE with CAclubindia Pro Membership - Daily E-Newsletter on GST, Income Tax, Finance & more - 5% Off on Professional Courses #### [Chaitra Seetharam](https://www.caclubindia.com/profile.asp?member_id=4108872) Worth mentioning that RuPay debit card transactions are free without limit. 07 October 2026The original 06 October 2026K. The UPI charges will impair the popularity and ease of doing business. It is said that is for the development of infrastructure and maintenance of UPI. No authority defines or explained them including the ... Not to worry, this is only the beginning slowly the tentacles will start choking consumers, that's for sure. So, merchants will pay for P2M transactions over £2000, not us? ##### Leave a Comment (Subject to moderation) Your email will never be published. ### Browse by Category - [GST](https://www.caclubindia.com/articles/browse.asp?cat_id=54)
- linkedin.com › pulse › upi-how-india-built-worlds-most-scalable-payment-system-eqf5cEN
UPI: How India Built the World's Most Scalable Payment System
A decade ago, sending money in India wasn't simple. You needed: Bank details; IFSC codes; Waiting time. Today, it takes seconds.