How UPI transformed Indian payments in its 1st decade
Business
UPI, launched back in August 2016, totally reshaped how people in India pay and get paid.
In just 10 years, transactions jumped from 1.78 crore to more than 24,162 crore in 2025-26, plus the total money moved shot up from ₹0.07 lakh crore to a massive ₹314 lakh crore.
It's safe to say UPI made digital payments easy and everywhere.
UPI handles over 66cr daily transactions
By 2025, nearly half of all real-time payments worldwide were happening on UPI, with over 66 crore daily transactions.
The platform grew from just 44 banks in 2016-17 to 703 banks by 2025-26, and now works internationally in places like the UAE and Singapore.
Built by NPCI under RBI guidance, UPI is a core part of India's digital infrastructure.