UPI goes down: PhonePe, GPay users unable to make payments
What's the story
A widespread outage has disrupted Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions across India.
The glitch, which is the third major disruption in recent weeks, is affecting users of popular digital payment platforms including Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm.
Users have reported transaction failures on these platforms, causing significant disruptions for both consumers and merchants.
Public response
User complaints surge
The technical issue has resulted in a sharp spike in complaints on Downdetector, suggesting a widespread disruption in UPI services.
Social media platforms are also inundated with user reports flagging issues with digital payments.
For example, attempts to make transactions via Paytm showed an error message reading, "UPI app is facing some issues."
Transaction surge
UPI transactions hit record high in March
Despite the ongoing disruption, UPI transactions in India reached an all-time high of 18.30 billion in March.
The figures marked a strong recovery after a 5% dip in February when 16.11 billion transactions were recorded.
The total transaction value for March was ₹24.77 lakh crore, representing a 12.8% growth over February's ₹21.96 lakh crore.
Market leaders
PhonePe and Google Pay dominate UPI ecosystem
In March, PhonePe continued to dominate the UPI ecosystem, processing 864.7 crore transactions, or 47.25% of all UPI transactions.
Google Pay was the second-largest player, processing 36.04% of total UPI transactions and contributing to 34.98% of total transaction value.
The numbers highlight these platforms' importance in India's digital payment ecosystem.