UPI QR codes double to nearly 68cr in 18 months
What's the story
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has witnessed an unprecedented surge in its QR code adoption. The number of UPI QR codes on the platform crossed a whopping 67.8 crore at the end of June this year, more than doubling in just 18 months. This growth has enabled consumers to transact a staggering ₹143.3 lakh crore through it in H1 2025 (January-June), marking a remarkable 23% year-on-year increase.
Growth metrics
Average ticket size decline
During the same period, transaction volumes also witnessed a significant jump of 35% year-on-year, reaching 10,636 crore. However, the average ticket size saw a decline from ₹1,478 in H1 2024 to ₹1,348 in H1 2025. This change is attributed to an increase in smaller spends at kiranas (local grocery stores), delivery platforms, mobility services and utilities.
Payment revolution
Report highlights dramatic shift in India's payment acceptance story
Worldline's 'India Digital Payments Report' for H1 2025 highlights a dramatic shift in India's payment acceptance story over the past 18 months. Point of Sale (PoS) terminals grew by 29%, Bharat QR rose by 12% and UPI QRs more than doubled during this period. The report also notes that what started as scattered QR codes has now become the world's largest merchant network, thanks to micro-merchants and government-backed programs enabling instant onboarding at near-zero cost.
Market influence
Structural surge in P2M transactions
Worldline's report noted that the surge in P2M transactions is structural, not temporary. It has become digital by default at kirana stores and neighborhood merchants. The report also highlighted a 22% year-on-year increase in P2P transaction value to ₹103.86 lakh crore and a 26% year-on-year surge in P2M value to ₹39.48 lakh crore during the last year and a half.