The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) marked its 10th anniversary on Tuesday. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that every Indian should take pride in the country’s digital payment revolution. He remarked that the launch of UPI has proven to be the most decisive moment in the history of digital payments in India.
Every Indian Proud of UPI’s Reach
Prime Minister Modi took to the social media platform ‘X’ to note that UPI was launched a decade ago and has proven to be the most pivotal decision in India’s digital payment journey. He expressed pride in the vast scale and reach of UPI.
Call to Share Experiences
The Prime Minister urged citizens to share their experiences with UPI. He asked people to describe how UPI has transformed their lives and how digital payments have simplified everyday transactions.
Transactions Increased 13,000-fold in a Decade
According to the Ministry of Finance, the annual volume of UPI transactions has surged nearly 13,000-fold over the past decade. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, UPI recorded 24,162 crore transactions, compared to 1.78 crore transactions in the 2016-17 fiscal year.
Transaction Value Rose Nearly 4,000-fold
The total value of UPI transactions has also grown rapidly during this period. It rose to ₹314 lakh crore in the 2025-26 fiscal year, up from ₹0.07 lakh crore in 2016-17—representing an increase of nearly 4,000-fold over the decade.
Launched on August 25, 2016
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched UPI on August 25, 2016. Over the past decade, UPI has become the backbone of the country’s digital payment system, seeing widespread adoption ranging from small shopkeepers to large-scale business transactions. Ranked among the world’s largest real-time payment systems
According to the Ministry of Finance, UPI has gained global recognition for its scale, reliability, and interoperability. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has acknowledged UPI as the world’s largest real-time payment system based on transaction volume. UPI accounted for approximately 49% of the global volume of real-time payment transactions in 2025.
