Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decade-long success of the Unified Payment Interface. In a social media post, Mr Modi marked UPI as a major turning point in India’s digital payments journey. Calling on countrymen to share their UPI experience, he stated that the sheer scale and reach of UPI are something every Indian must be proud of.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which was launched on this day in 2016, has completed ten years of transforming digital payments in India. The unprecedented scale and reliability achieved by UPI have earned global recognition, with the system now operational across eleven countries. It has emerged as one of the most successful pillars of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, providing an inter-operable, real-time payments platform. The UPI has surged almost 13,000-fold in transaction volume.
The Finance Ministry said that the annual transaction volume increased from just 1.78 crore transactions in 2016-17 to over 24,162 crore transactions in 2025-26. The transaction value also rose sharply from 7,000 crore rupees to nearly 314 lakh crore rupees during the same time period. Our correspondent reports that 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.
